


Danganronpa: Hunger Games

by Akiragane



Series: Danganronpa: The Mocking Jays [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Angst, By that I mean there's characters from all three games, Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Female Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, Fluff, Human Monokuma (Dangan Ronpa), Hunger Games AU, M/M, Swearing, Transgender Fujisaki Chihiro, Triple Game Crossover, Ultimate Archer Naegi, like really heavy angst, may the odds be ever in your favor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 33,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26312395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiragane/pseuds/Akiragane
Summary: Every year for 73 years, 12 boys and 12 girls have been selected, 2 from each district, to participate in Danganronpa, also known as the Hunger Games. These boys and girls would fight to the death in an arena and the last one standing would be the Victor, riches and glories awaiting them.For the 74th year, Makoto Naegi's sister, Komaru, is chosen to participate. Wanting to protect his younger sibling, he volunteers for her, partnered with Nagito Komaeda, resident Psychopath of District 12. They have to fight for everything they love, even though Makoto never wanted to kill anyone.But if he were to win, he would have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Relationships: Komaeda Nagito/Naegi Makoto
Series: Danganronpa: The Mocking Jays [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946734
Comments: 73
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to the fic!
> 
> I've been meaning to write this forever, it's one of my bigger projects I'm very excited for!
> 
> I can't be the only one who thought Danganronpa was just Anime Hunger Games. It's pretty much the same concept. So I decided to combine them! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I already know people are gonna yell at me for not making this a KomaHina or a Makoto/Togami fic, but I honestly prefer this ship and think it fits better.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1

Makoto usually woke up earlier than either his sister or his mother. After all, he had to go hunting.

He laced up his boots while their ginger cat, Lucky, stared at him. He smiled at her as he stepped out. District 12 wasn't alive at this time of day, but no one wanted to do anything today anyway. After all, it was the morning of the Reaping.

Makoto came to the fence leading out of the District, the one that was _supposed_ to be electrified 23 hours a day, but the Peacekeepers didn't care enough to actually keep it lit up, so Makoto was able to slip under it easily.

He wondered if he could get some deer meat, then he could afford something nice for Komaru and his mother, maybe even Kirigiri as a treat. He reached under a log and pulled out his carefully crafted bow, dusting off some excess moss before slinging it across his back and taking his quiver of arrows out of a hollowed tree a little ways away from the log where the bow was kept.

Makoto didn't have to go very far into the woods before hearing noises, a telltale sign some kind of animal was nearby. He crept closer to the noises, keeping an eye out. Eventually, he stepped forward and saw the faintest tuft of light brown fur. A female deer, standing there, leaning up to nip at some of the plants on the trees.

Makoto knelt down and noiselessly pulled and arrow out of his quiver and set it into his bow, pulling it back. The doe looked at him, clearly noticing him, but not realizing that he had a weapon that was ready to shoot her.

He was just about to let it fly when he heard a voice. "Naegi."

The doe ran, Makoto shot the arrow in vain, missing. He cursed under his breath, then standing up to see his friend, Kirigiri. He smiled. "You let her get away," he said.

"Sorry," she replied, holding up a loaf of bread. "Forgive me?"

Makoto nodded, taking the loaf, breaking the bread in half, and then handing Kirigiri the first half and tucking the second in his pocket. "I didn't think you'd want to come out here. Y'know, Reaping and all." Kirigiri shrugged. "Might as well. What good is it if I'm stuck inside? It's not going to decrease my chances of getting picked."

She made a lot of good points like that. Makoto just wished she wasn't as blunt as she was. "Right. Anyways, I have some berries I picked up on the way here, wanna eat before we have to play dress up and get sent off to our deaths?"

Kirigiri gave him a ghost of a smile and nodded. The two walked to the nearest clearing and sat down, eating the bread and chatting. Kirigiri was an orphan, living by herself and actually surviving just fine. Not many teenagers would be able to do that.

They talked about the games. Part of the Reaping, the day each year that would decide who would go to the Danganronpa, more well known as the Hunger Games, was that you could sign up to receive financial aid from the Capital, the end-all-be-all of Panem. Makoto's name would be in there 18 times, Kirigiri's would be in 23. Makoto wouldn't let Komaru sign up for it, he'd do anything to prevent that. So her name was in there only once.

"We could do it, you know..." Kirigiri said out of the blue.

Makoto gave her a quizzical look. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Kirigiri stood up and gestured to the woods. "Leave. We could run away. Go anywhere but here. Be free from the Games and Panem. We could hunt for food and-"

"Kiri..." Makoto said, standing up next to her. He was a good few inches shorter than her, but he never felt that inferior to her. "You know I can't leave Komaru and my mom. That may work for you but they could never come. I don't think Komaru could survive in the woods for a day."

Kirigiri pressed her mouth into a thin line. "I know I just..." she sighed. "You're right...."

She sat down again and Makoto sat right next to her. They sat in a small silence for a bit before Makoto raised a piece of the bread. "Happy 74th Hunger Games," he said, smiling.

Kirigiri mirrored his smile and bumped her bread against Makoto's. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

**______**

The second Makoto got home he was dragged into the bath by his mother. The Reaping started in a few hours, he needed to look presentable. His mother scrubbed all the dirt out of his hair, trying to smooth down that one part that stuck out but was unsuccessful. Then she dragged him back out and put him in his nicest clothing, you know the kind you can't breathe in.

Komaru looked nice, two little braids framing her face as she bore a lovely little floral skirt and a white blouse. This was her first Reaping, safe to say she was nervous. Makoto reached over and hugged her. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Your name is only in there once, you'll be fine," he reassured her.

She nodded into his chest. "I know, I know... I'm just so scared."

"You'll be fine, I promise," he said, trying to assure himself as much as her.

He separated from her and turned her around, stuffing the back of her shirt into her skirt. "Let's go, little duck."

Kirigiri was meeting them outside, wearing a white shirt and a black skirt with an orange tie. She looked nice. Makoto smiled when he saw her. She pulled him aside for a second. "Here." she pressed something small into his palm. "For good luck."

Makoto opened his hand to reveal a little golden pin, with a Mockingbird holding an arrow. "Kiri where did you-?"

"Not important, good luck," she said.

She didn't say anything as they walked towards the city center. They went past screening, a small prick of the finger to assure they were present, if they weren't, the penalty was death. This was absolutely mandatory.

Makoto joined all the other 16-year-old boys and saw Komaru join the 13-year-old girls. He looked to the side to see Kirigiri in the 16-year-old girls. Off to a great start already

Then the anthem rang. Makoto stood on his tiptoes to get a look at Junko Enoshima, the girl from the Capitol that was assigned to District 12 as the Hunger Games announcer. Her hair looked even bigger than last year, smile even more psychotic. "Hello everyone, and welcome to the 74th Danganronpa, or, as you all like to call it, the Hunger Games!" she said. "Now, before we begin, I'd like to introduce Mukuro Ikusaba, District 12's one and only winner!"

The woman stepped on stage. She had won six years ago, and even now she looked as though she'd been through war. A faraway look in her eyes, military cut clothes and hair, and a flask always full of strong alcohol clinging to her belt. She was one of two winners that had ever been from District 12 but was the only one currently living. She waved once then sat down rigid in her seat.

Junko clapped but no one else did.

"Right, anyway, I believe we should get on with it. You all know the gist of it. 74 years ago we had a great war that lasted many years, destroying District 13 and the Capital reigning victorious, and these games are a reminder of that beautiful day! to remind you all that you will never rise above the Capital again!"

Everyone knew the story. Makoto hated how Junko phrased it like they weren't suffering because of it. And he hated his ancestors for giving up just like that.

"Speaking of which, let's begin the Reaping! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" Junko said, walking over to the girl's bowl. "Ladies first."

She dug her hand deep into the bowl. Makoto was almost deadpanned as she pulled the slip of paper out, slowly unfolding it. She smiled to herself. "Komaru Naegi?"

Makoto's heart froze in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap that plot twist.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto volunteers for Komaru and finds out the other person who will be in the games is Komaeda. Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Planning on trying to update at least once a day. If I miss a day I'm sorry.
> 
> I hope you are enjoying so far. I'm trying my best to follow the plot of the book, sorry if there are tiny inaccuracies.

Makoto couldn't breathe, he felt like he was being strangled.

Junko called Komaru's name again and the girl slowly walked up to the stage, tucking in her shirt into her skirt again. She seemed to be having a panic attack. Makoto weaved through the crowd to try and see her. The Peacekeepers were escorting his sister up to the stage. "Komaru!" he yelled. "KOMARU!"

The Peacekeepers tried to keep him back. "No, wait no! I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" he shouted.

Everyone gasped at what he said as ripped himself out of the Peacekeepers grasp. "I volunteer as tribute!" he shouted again.

Junko blinked, then split into a wide smile. Mukuro turned to her. "Is he allowed to do that?" she asked.

The pink-haired woman nodded. "Of course, come on up here!" she said.

Makoto stepped forward, trying to stop him. "No, Makoto, no please don't-"

Makoto hugged her again. "I'm sorry," he whispered then continued walking up the stage. He stood next to Junko, staring at everyone, trying not to cry. "What's your name, sweetie?" Junko asked.

"Makoto Naegi," he said.

"Ah, I'll bet that was your little sister, am I right?"

Makoto nodded, not trusting his voice. Junko's smile got impossibly bigger. "Well, it's a bit of a problem with you volunteering for a female, but I'm sure we'll work it out. Anyways..."

She walked to the boy's bowl and picked out a name from the top. "Now for the men."

Junko opened the paper and Makoto swore he heard her snicker. "Nagito Komaeda!"

Makoto's heart stopped again. The people parted to let a boy with wild white hair and a chain around his neck pass. He walked up and stood next to Makoto, smiling, as though he expected this.

"Right, please give a round of applause for our two tributes!"

That's not what everyone did. Instead, the pressed three fingers to their lips and raised them up. A signal meaning goodbye. Makoto wanted to cry. Komaeda seemed to give them a nod of approval.

Mukuro stood next to them. "Welcome to the shit show," she whispered.

Makoto almost didn't hear her. He was too focused on the boy next to him. Nagito Komaeda, he was crazy, everyone knew that. He was an orphan like Kirigiri, but he handled it badly. Apparently he lived in a little mansion on the hill, but those were just rumors. He never came out and when he did, he didn't talk to anyone. Some say he got arrested, which is why he sometimes wore a chain around his neck.

Makoto saw him at school, but the only time he ever really talked to him was three years ago...

The mayor started giving a speech and Makoto replayed that night through his head over and over again.

**______**

The year of his first Reaping, his father died.

He was a miner, and a mineshaft exploded, killing him and countless others.

Makoto remembered his mother went stiff after that. Refusing to get up, eat, doing anything. It really impacted Komaru as well. 

As the oldest, Makoto had to try and provide for his family. It was really hard at first, he didn't even think of going past the fence then. All he tried to do was sell anything they didn't need until he could sign up to get the financial aid and figure it out from there.

It was raining that day. He was trying to sell old baby clothes of Komaru's, but no one wanted them. He walked all the way around District 12, shivering as he walked up the hill to the Peacekeepers and the rich houses. He wasn't sure what he was going to do there when he made it, but he was trusting luck at this point.

He collapsed before he reached the first house. He lifted his head to see lights and a boy in the doorway. He cocked his head, vision blurry. The boy seemed to be about his age, with white fluffy hair and baggy clothes. He turned around and went back into the house, only to return later with a jacket. He helped Makoto sit up and wrapped the jacket around his shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Makoto nodded. "Th-Thank you..." he stuttered.

"Don't mention it. Here, I'll get you something to eat, be right back."

He ran inside and came out with two loaves of bread, handing them to Makoto. The soft food was warm on his hand. Makoto smiled. "I don't think I can thank you enough," he said, voice raspy.

The boy mirrored his smile. Then he heard a shout from inside the house. "Go, go. Run home. I'll see you again." he said, helping Makoto up and watching as he ran down the hill. Makoto looked back to see him getting slapped across the face before he was out of sight.

It was the first time they had proper food since before their dad died. Komaru was ecstatic and Makoto was able to coax his mother to eat a little.

That was when Makoto realized he couldn't rely on others to give him things, he had to do things for himself.

It was hard at first. He had gone into the woods before with his father, was even gifted a bow and a quiver. Makoto used those things to try and hunt like his dad taught him. Making the arrows was a process in itself. And it was scary for a 13 year old to go into the woods alone. He didn't have to worry about that when he met Kirigiri, who was also trying to provide for herself. She could track and trap all manner of animals, and she was very smart.

Their meeting was kind of an accident, Makoto had been hunting and saw Kirigiri, and almost shot her. Luckily he missed and just caught a bit of her hair. They became friends shortly after, helping each other out when they needed to.

Makoto never talked to Komaeda again. Shortly after them meeting Komaeda's parents died and he went quiet, many people believed he went crazy. Makoto never had the courage to try and see if that was true.

But now he was standing on this stage with him, about to be sent off to their deaths, surely.

The mayor finished his speech and the Peacekeepers led them off the stage, Makoto getting one last glance at the crowd, his mother, his sister, and Kirigiri.

He was, in a sense, totally and absolutely fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the reason two boys are allowed to participate is simply because of A LOT of paperwork and taking into account that Makoto is smaller and weaker than most of the other boys, having a girlish figure per se.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto talks to his mother and sister and some others. Komaeda and he go on the train to head to the Capital.

Makoto was lead into a small room with velvet couches and tapestries on the walls. The pillows were plush and soft as he squeezed one to his chest. This was where he was going to say goodbye to his parents and friends. This was actually happening. Wow...

His mother and sister came in first. Komaru hugged him tightly. "You shouldn't have done that." she scolded him.

"I had too," he replied. "I wasn't going to let you go off to your death."

Komaru looked up at him. "Promise me you'll try to win," she said. "You're good at hunting, good with a bow, you can do it."

He wanted to tell it it was hopeless, that he had as good of a chance of winning as a single sheep in a lion cave had of surviving. But he nodded anyway. "I'll try, Komaru, I promise."

Then he turned to their mother and walked up to her. "Hey, don't go frozen again," he said. "You have to think of Komaru, you have to work for both of you. You can't just go lifeless like that again."

His mother nodded. "I promise I'll make sure we make it. For you."

Makoto nodded. "Thank you," he said, hugging her. "I'm going to miss you."

"Survive... please..." his mother breathed.

Komaru joined the hug. Makoto let a few tears slip from his eyes before his family was ripped away from him. Komaru kicked and screamed as the Peacekeepers dragged her out of the room. Then the door shut and they were gone. Makoto sat back down on the couches. It felt even more real now, having this weight on his shoulders like this. He was actually going to be in the Hunger Games. He hated that he was going to go out that way.

The door opened and Kirigiri walked in. Makoto stood up. The girl walked over to him and place her hands on his shoulders. "You are an idiot," she said first.

Makoto pressed his mouth into a thin line. He knew she was going to say that. Then she hugged him. "I'll take it back if you win," she added.

He hugged her back. His best friend... he was saying goodbye to her for good. She was leaving. "I talked to Komaeda," she said.

"You did?"

"He didn't say much, but I told him to take care of you. He agreed to. Please... just be careful, okay?"

"I'll try."

"I know you can win. You hunt all the time-"

"Animals, Kiri, not people."

"How different can it really be?"

Very different. People have feelings, families. People were more complex, and you couldn't eat them. Well, a few people in the Games have tried before. They'd cut off arms or legs or organs and pack them up to cook and eat later. Makoto always thought those people were gross and always said he'd never do that if he was ever picked.

He may be having second thoughts about that now.

Kirigiri was lead out of the room, she waved as she walked out. "Goodbye," she said.

"Bye, Kyouko," Makoto whispered as the door closed.

He didn't bother sitting back down. He didn't even know if anyone else was coming. No one did, and the Peacekeepers came in to escort him to train. Once he was outside he saw cameras filming him and Komaeda. The entire District was behind them, watching as the two stepped on the platform. Junko stepped in front of them. "One more round of applause for our tributes!" she said, raising her arms up.

A few people clapped. Komaeda smiled and blew a kiss to the crowd and cameras. Yep, insane.

The train whistled and the two were bustled inside, never to be seen again.

**__________**

Makoto was led to his room. It was ten times fancier than he ever excepted it to be. Soft bed and carpet, light green curtains framing the windows, walk-in closet with a variety of clothes in it, mahogany nightstands, so much more. Even the bathroom was impressive. Large sink and even larger bathtub/shower. He decided it was probably a good idea to clean himself before going to dinner.

He stripped and stepped in. Navigating to buttons was hard enough. He pressed one for hot water and one for cold, one that spurted shampoo and more than spat other products onto him.

He finished within ten minutes and stepped out, wrapping himself in a towel and creeping out, looking around for cameras and dashing to the closet to change into a plain green shirt and black pants. They were comfortable.

Makoto stepped out into the dining car to see Junko and Komaeda engaged in conversation. He walked over to them. Junko smiled and stood up and squished his cheeks. "Aw, you're so cute! I could just eat you up!"

Makoto pushed her hands off of her and sat down next to his fellow tribute. "Where's Mukuro?" he asked.

Junko waved a clawed hand at him. "She'll be here soon, don't be such a worry-wuss. Enjoy the food! It's the finest you'll ever have in your life! Right from the Capital!"

The food did look good. All kinds of delicacies that Makoto could never dream to have anywhere else. Komaeda seemed to have already filled a plate and was slowly picking at it.

Makoto grabbed as much as he could and started eating without talking. It was absolutely delicious, he'd never had anything like this before. He wondered if he could send some back to his mother, Komaru, and Kirigiri before he went inside the arena. "Good, isn't it? The tributes last year definitely thought so, but the disgusting pigs had absolutely _no_ table manners!" Junko said, acting oh-so distraught.

Makoto recalled the tributes from last year were both from the poorest part of District 12, they probably had never had a decent meal in their life. Makoto knew basic table manners but didn't know why Junko was so obsessed with it.

"Speaking of tributes..." Komaeda said, twirling a fork between his fingers. "We really should talk to Mukuro, see what she has to say about our survival."

"Why in such a rush, twinkle toes?"

Makoto turned to see Mukuro standing in the doorway, flask open. Komaeda smiled when he saw her. "Perfect."

Mukura sat next to Junko, right across from Makoto. She reached over to the whiskey and poured it into her flask before chugging it, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "I'll give you advice, cupcakes. Survive. Survive and then when you die beg to be killed quickly."

Makoto winced. "That's not really much of a-"

"You don't know the first thing about these games, do you?" Mukuro interrupted him, reaching for the whiskey again. "It's an all-out massacre, with your attitude's you'll be dead before the first sunset-"

Makoto had enough of her. He grabbed his butterknife and slammed it on the table right between her fingers. Junko gasped. "That is _mahogany_." she scolded.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. "Feisty, aren't we?"

Makoto sat back down. "Not really," he replied. "Simply don't like to be underestimated."

Komaeda snorted. Makoto turned to him. "What? What's funny?" he asked.

"Don't be offended, I wasn't laughing at you." the white-haired teen replied, leaning back. "I just think you shouldn't cut our mentor's fingers off if you want her to get your Sponsors."

Ah, yes, the Sponsor system. The mentors were the ones who regulated the Sponsors and decided what goes to whom. The more Sponsors you have, the more stuff you get, the higher chance of survival.

Makoto bit his lip. "Right..." he said.

Mukuro grabbed the bottle and took it straight. "The biggest thing I can offer as advice is run away from the cornucopia and don't team up with anyone. Are either of you good at _anything_?"

Komaeda pointed at Makoto. "He can shoot."

"There won't be guns in the arena."

Makoto snarled. "Not a gun. A bow," he said.

"Hmmm, there might be those," Mukuro said, taking another long drink of whiskey, nearly draining the bottle. "And it looks like you might be good with a knife too."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, I am. Not my strongest skill set, but I can throw and use a knife fairly well," he said.

Mukuro hummed, then turned to Komaeda. "And you?"

Komaeda smiled. "I'm lucky."

Silence. "That it?" Junko asked.

Komaeda nodded. "Yup, I'm just very very lucky. That's my skill set, actually, that's half my personality."

The more Makoto was hanging around him, the more delusional he seemed. Mukuro snorted. "That's dumb." she stood up wobbly. "Let me know when you come up with a real skill."

She turned around to walked out of the room and fell flat on her face. Makoto looked over the table and saw her passed out. Junko groaned. "Oh for crying out loud..." she huffed.

Junko then proceeded to pick Mukuro up and drag her out of the room. Makoto turned to Komaeda, who seemed to be staring into space. "So... um..."

Komaeda set his gaze on him, smiling. "Makoto Naegi, right? Pleasure to meet you. I look forward to watching you win."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o_O


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The train goes through the rest of the Districts as they reach the Capital. Makoto and Komaeda get a civil conversation out of Mukuro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably a bit out of character in the beginning. I promise as we go on then it will get more and more in character. Probably. :)

Surprisingly, Makoto was able to get a decent night's sleep. No dreams or nightmares, just sweet nothingness. When he woke up for breakfast Komaeda was already there, dipping a cookie in some kind of brown liquid. "What's that?" Makoto asked, pointing at the mug as he sat down next to him.

Komaeda smiled. "Apparently it's called 'hot chocolate'. Drink of the gods I swear."

Makoto was immediately gifted a mug of the stuff by one of the train attendants. He thanked them and gingerly brought the porcelain cup to his lips. Komaeda wasn't exaggerating, this stuff was delicious. He downed it in less than a minute, and once he finished it off Junko stepped in. "Good morning!" she said, bright and cheerful as ever. She sat down across from Komaeda and began to eat as well, trying at every chance to strike up a conversation. Makoto wasn't too keen on talking to her, but he gave her a few one-word answers in response. 

Finally, Mukuro walked in, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ah, my head hurts like a son of a bitch..." she mumbled and sat down, chugging a glass of orange juice and flipping it over. "Right, so anyway."

She shifted her eyes between the two. "Junko informed me she took care of the paperwork for letting the both of yous participate, despite both being guys. Which is good." she started. "Now, as far as advice for how to win..."

"I thought you didn't want to tell us?" Makoto interrupted her train of thoughts. How she acted last night definitely didn't give the impression that she wanted to help them.

Mukuro sighed and rubbed her temples. "Listen, buddy. I want you to survive as much as everyone else from our District does. I acted that way because people usually show their true colors when they are being insulted. It's a strategy my dear Junko taught me. Getting drunk was the easiest way to get me to be mean."

Junko waved to them and hugged Mukuro. "You da best, Mukuro!" she squealed.

Makoto blinked. They seemed so close, almost like sisters. Mukuro hummed and continued. "Anyway, like I said last night. Making teams is anything but a good idea. They'll betray you or only get you killed. Trust me, it's a bad idea."

Mukuro set her eyes on Makoto. "You told me you're good with a bow last night, is that right?"

Makoto nodded. The black-haired girl smiled. "That's good. But whatever you do, do not go to the cornucopia right away for a bow."

"Yes, don't go to the weapons cache which will be the only place to get a bow other than having it be sponsored to her which could take more money than the President makes in a year," Komaeda said, sarcasm thick in his voice, leaning over and smiling, placing his chin in his palm.

Mukuro rolled her eyes. "Listen, it's a bloodbath if you go. Not many will know how to shoot a bow, you're at an advantage there," she said.

"I know that much, but otherwise I'm kinda useless," Makoto said.

Mukuro snorted. As she did so they passed through a tunnel. Komaeda got up and ran to the window. He turned around and smiled at Makoto. "We're passing into the Capital," he said.

Makoto stood next to him, and sure enough, once the darkness was lifted there were thousands of people cheering for them, wearing colorful outfits and even more colorful personalities. Makoto smiled and reached up to wave at them. Komaeda looked at him funny. "You're waving to the people who are getting entertainment from watching us kill each other?"

He shrugged. "I don't know... maybe being more likable will get me more sponsors," he said.

Komaeda smiled at him. "Smart," he noted.

Mukuro pushed past both of them and scowled at the people. "Idiots, every one of them," she remarked. "They watch you all go to their deaths with a smile and a bucket of popcorn, it's sickening."

Junko whined. "Not all of them. I'm still despairing when I have to watch all those beautiful people from all those beautiful Districts run off to their deaths."

"I didn't mean you, Junko. I meant those people out there."

Junko seemed satisfied with that answer and returned to eating. Makoto turned to Mukuro. "Do you hate them because you were in the games... you know what it's like... so you feel like they don't know what it feels like to risk their lives?" he asked.

Mukuro blinked. "How... how did you know?" she asked.

Makoto shrugged. "I guess I can kind of read your mind." he joked.

Mukuro scrunched up her nose, then smiled. "I like you," she said.

Komaeda walked back over to the table and took the rest of his hot chocolate like a shot, grabbing a bagel and shoving it in his mouth. Then he walked out. "Where're you going?" Makoto inquired.

Komaeda shrugged. "Back to my room. I don't want to look at those disgusting bastards anymore," he said jokingly, but there was a hint of saltiness to his voice.

He left the room. Makoto debating following him before ultimately deciding he needed to calm him down. He walked down the hallways to his room and knocked on the door. "Come back later, Junko." he heard a voice inside call.

"Not Junko," Makoto called back.

The door opened to reveal Komaeda, tired expression crossing his face. "Is there something you want?"

"Uh, yeah, um..." Makoto all of a sudden couldn't find his words. "I wanted to... thank you."

Komaeda raised an eyebrow. "Thank me? Why would you want to thank someone like me?"

"You probably don't remember this but... you saved me three years ago. You saved me from so much, and I wanted to thank you."

There was an awkward silence, then Komaeda burst into a smile. "I... think I remember that. Do you wanna come in?"

Makoto nodded and was led into Komaeda's room, which was nearly identical to his own. Komaeda sat down on the bed while Makoto remained standing. "Whatever happens, you should know I meant what I said. I believe you'll be able to win." Komaeda said, talking with his hands.

"What makes you think that?" Makoto asked.

Komaeda chuckled. "You're so cute... you're an archer, one of the best I'm sure."

Makoto proceeded to become flustered. "Oh, um, well I wouldn't consider myself the best..." he scratched the back of his neck.

"Shoots the animal in the eye every time, makes it quick, easy, and bloodless? Yeah, you're one of the best." Komaeda continued. "Another reason is because of your personality. You're likable, which is good. You're optimistic, I know that much. People will be jumping to sponsor you. You can win."

Makoto bit his lip. "And... and you are saying you don't have a chance at winning?"

Komaeda chuckled. "Of course I don't. Not that it really matters. I don't think I told you this before, but I'm dying."

"What do you mean?"

"I have incurable diseases, in here..." he pointed to his abdomen, "...and here." he pointed to his head. "I'll die within a few years anyway."

Makoto blinked. "You... you can't be serious? The Capital has technology that could cure anything! If you win you could live to be a hundred!"

"That's assuming they are actually able to cure someone like me," Komaeda interjected. "And does it really matter? You do know that the winner of the Hunger Games might also end up like Mukuro, and alcoholic that hates the Capital? You wouldn't be like that, I know you wouldn't because you are too good for that."

"You're assuming things about me. I'm not-"

"But you are. I can see it. Hope blooming under your eyes, you could win, and you could take the Capital down with you if you really wanted."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yey
> 
> Next chapter is going to be exciting, if you remember from the books then you know ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto meets Tsumigi, his stylist, and becomes the boy on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsumugi is Cinna because... I can.

Makoto was 99% sure they were expecting a female to walk into the doors because the look of disappointment they gave was souring. Regardless they began to work on him.

Makoto hissed as the last wax strip was pulled off of him. "Sorry, sorry..." Chisa, one of his attendants said. "That's the last one, though. Just a few more things before you see Tsumigi."

They scrubbed his face raw and basically made him feel a lot cleaner (and prettier) than he had in a long time. By the time they were done Makoto thought his entire first layer of skin had been scrubbed or ripped off.

Eventually, they left, leaving Makoto sitting in a chair in a thin black robe and nothing else, anxious and jumpy. His stylist would be choosing his outfit for the parade, one of the vital things that could gain you Sponsors. Since the outfits were usually related to the Districts, and District 12 was coal, the tributes were usually dressed in miner outfits. One year they went out butt-naked and covered in coal dust. That totally didn't give them some kind of poisoning.

The door opened and revealed a young lady with blue hair and glasses. Makoto didn't know what he was expecting, but she seemed a bit more... modest than what he was expecting. "Afternoon, how are you?" she asked.

"Fine," he replied.

The lady paced around him, inspecting every part of his body. Makoto felt slightly uncomfortable. "Sorry, sorry, My name is Tsumugi Shirogane. You're Makoto Naegi, right?"

He nodded. Tsumugi hummed. "I'm sure this is a bit awkward, having a woman check you out like this."

Makoto shrugged. "It's not because of your gender, mostly because I hate being naked in general."

"Ah, understood."

"Are you new?"

"How did you guess?"

"I've never seen you on any of the previous Hunger Games."

"Very perceptive, yes this is my first year."

"Figures, they always give us the newbies."

Tsumugi locked eyes with him. She smiled. "So then I can assume what other stylists have done in previous years?"

Makoto nodded. "Miner outfits, right?"

Tsumugi smiled. "Yes, however, I won't subject you to such horrible clothes. I had something a little different in mind."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Tsumugi smiled wider. She had this mischievous glint in her eyes that both made Makoto terrified and curious. "There's coal, and then there's what it creates... _fire_."

"I don't follow."

"Oh, you will."

**_________**

A few hours later Makoto is dressed in a type of leather clothes with a mini cape and a skirt that slit up the front in a triangle. Komaeda was wearing something similar except it looked more or less suit-like.

Tsumugi explained. "Since you're both men, I decided to make both be as androgynous as possible, I hope that's okay."

Makoto smiled. "It's fine. This is actually really nice."

Tsumugi squealed. "Okay, I'll light you in a second. Remember, it's not real flames, just synthetic fire I came up with. You'll be totally fine."

The anthem rang indicating the start of the parade. The first chariot went out first, District 1, followed by District 2, and so on.

Komaeda leaned over to talk to Makoto. "You rip mine off I rip yours?" he whispered.

Makoto nodded. "Deal," he replied.

"Alright, I'm lighting you guys now," Tsumugi said and reached over to light the outfits with her torch.

Makoto grit his teeth, expecting the worst, but instead, he was pleasantly surprised with just a little tingle. Tsumugi lit Komaeda and stepped off the chariot just as it started moving. They walked out and the audience gasped as they saw them. Makoto blinked, then they started cheering. He looked up at the screens. He and Komaeda were on fire alright, and it looked legendary.

Just as he made this realization he felt a hand slip into his. He looked at Komaeda. The taller smiled. "For the cameras." he mouthed.

Komaeda squeezed his hand and Makoto smiled softly. He looked at the crowd and blew them a kiss. Many of the people in the crowd reached up to catch the invisible kiss. Makoto giggled at that.

Some of the other tributes were looking at them in jealousy for stealing the show, but Makoto could care less. He waved at everyone with a smile, hoping one of them was rich enough to gift him something useful in the games.

They soon enough gathered in the semi-circle around the pedestal that held President Monokuma, ruler of Panem. He waved his hand and the audience died down. He smiled. "Hello and welcome everyone, to the 74th annual Danganronpa, more well known as the Hunger Games!"

People cheered. Makoto frowned. This man... it was hard to express his feelings for him. He wanted him to die in the worst parts of hell. He was around when the first Hunger Games was installed, but didn't look like he aged a day. Most of Panem had mixed feelings about him, he was a complicated man.

He said a short speech, then sent the tributes off with a wave of his hand. The chariots went off, and as they did so Makoto felt like the President's eyes were boring into him.

When they got back and off the chariot Tsumugi put the fire out and Junko and Mukuro rushed towards them. "Ohmygod that was AMAZING!" Junko praised. "You guys looked so awesome out there, and holding hands was such a brave move! Makoto, they loved you!"

Makoto smiled. "Thanks, it was really nerve-wracking..."

He realized then that he was still holding on to Komaeda's hand, and he didn't really want to let go.

Unfortunately, Mukuro forced them apart with a hug. "If that won't get you Sponsors I really don't know what will," she said with a smile.

Komaeda laughed then turned to Makoto. "You looked great, you really should wear flames more often," he remarked.

Makoto smiled and shook his head. "I think it was the skirt." he said, lifting up the piece of fabric as to do a curtsey. "But thanks."

Tsumugi hugged both of them as well. "You guys were incredible. Can't wait to work on your outfits for the interviews!"

Makoto nodded. "Thank you so much, Tsumugi. You did amazingly as well."

The girl blushed and held her face in her palms. "Aw, stop it."

Tomorrow was where the real test, however. Tomorrow they would start at the training center. Tomorrow would determine many things, safe to say, Makoto was scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The freaking parade is like one of the best parts tbh. The entire first part was incredible, not to say the whole book/series wasn't good, but I especially loved the first part of the first book.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go to the place they would be staying for the remainder of their time before the Hunger Games, meet Chiaki, and start at the Training Center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire fic is a weird mix of all three games. I'm enjoying this, though. It's honestly really fun to write.

"The floors are separated by District, so naturally you two get the penthouse suite on the top floor!" Junko said, as though that made up for everything.

They stepped into the elevator and shot up. Makoto could see the entire Capital, shimmering and shining brightly. He was beginning to see why Komaeda had such a strong hatred for them. They knew they were better than everyone else and flaunted it without a problem.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, leading to a modernized room with beautiful decor and lighting. Makoto spun around as he stepped out in order to see every aspect of it. "Tomorrow morning you begin at the Training Center, let's talk about that," Mukuro said as she sat down at the table for dinner.

Makoto and Komaeda sat down as well and were handed plates of food. Makoto smiled and said, "Thank you- Oh! I know you!" he said without thinking.

The girl's eyes widened and shook her head furiously, making mauve hair shake. Junko scoffed. "How could you possibly know an Avox?" she asked.

Makoto blinked. "A what now?"

Mukuro cleared her throat. "Avox are traitors to the Capital that have been caught and had their tongues cut. Now they work as servants for the very city they tried to defy."

The girl pursed her lips and bowed, dismissing herself, a dark look in her pink eyes. Makoto blinked as she ran off. Komaeda snapped his fingers. "Ah, I see it now. She looks like Hiyoko Saionji. That probably why you recognized her."

"Oh... yeah probably..."

Hiyoko was a petite blonde girl with a bad attitude who was constantly bad mouthing everyone at school. That girl looked nothing like Hiyoko.

Makoto recognized her from maybe a year ago. He and Kirigiri were waiting in the bushes for prey to come along when she started running through the woods, covered in blood. They weren't sure what to do at the time but froze when they saw a Capital ship. It brought a claw down and picked her up as she screamed. He would sometimes see that day in his nightmares.

A traitor, huh. He wondered what she possibly could've done to deserve to have her tongue cut off.

Mukuro slammed a bottle of wine on the table and opened it in one swift movement. "Right, anyway." she took a long sip of it. "Training Center. Let's talk about it."

Makoto was snapped out of his thoughts by that, trying to pay attention to his mentor. "Do not show off what you're good at right away. That'll make people target you. Do something useful that you don't know how to do. Learning the difference between poison and safe berries, tying knots, whatever. Stay away from the other tributes and save your skills for the Evaluation."

At the end of the three days of training, the Tributes were taken to see the Gamemakers who would evaluate their skills and give them a rating, 1-12, like the Districts. The higher-ranking ones usually got better Sponsors at the cost of being targeted by the other Tributes.

"That's understandable," Komaeda said, piece of meat hanging from his fork. "However... wouldn't this also be a prime time to make alliances?"

Mukuro scowled. "As I've said before, no alliances. They more often than not end badly and will just get you killed," she said, waving her hands dramatically.

"Alright, no alliances then."

This is mostly how it went for dinner. Makoto didn't feel like talking much so once he was done eating he excused himself and went to bed. His room here was even nicer than the one on the train... and the bathroom had even more buttons. He took a quick shower and changed into soft clothes for sleep.

Tomorrow was a big day.

**_________**

"Are you ready?" Komaeda asked as they stepped into the elevator, fully changed into the training uniforms and ready to go.

Makoto chewed the inside of his cheek. "I don't think I really have a choice," he said with a half-hearted smile.

Komaeda smiled back. Junko had attempted to brush his hair that morning only to end up making it even messier and just tied it back into a ponytail. It was endearing and made him look a lot more refreshed than normal.

The elevator dinged and they stepped out. Most of the other Tributes were already there. Makoto scanned every one of them, he had a knack for remembering details. He could point out the Careers in two seconds.

The Careers were from Districts 1-4, and normally they would train their whole lives for the Hunger Games. They were the ones who usually won. District 1 looks probably the most intriguing to him. A boy with blonde hair and glasses and a girl with purple hair in braids, also wearing glasses.

Komaeda grabbed his arm and pointed to one of the stations. Knot tying. He turned to him. "Mommy Mukuro said we need to start there." he joked.

Makoto suppressed a laughed as they headed over. The girl working there seemed happy to have someone to teach. She explained some of the basics, which Makoto picked up fairly quickly. Komaeda seemed to be having trouble though. "It's okay, I'm sure you'll get it in time," she said.

Komaeda smiled. "Yeah," he just replied.

Eventually, they moved on to working on snares. Makoto explained that he knew some basic ones from Kirigiri, to which the instructor seemed ecstatic about. She taught him a more complicated one that could be modified for not only animals but people too. Fun.

As they worked, Makoto would sometimes glance over at the others. The Careers were working with the weapons, of course, but there were others that caught Makoto's attention. A girl with raven black hair in twin ponytails seemed to be incredibly intelligent was weaving through the obstacle courses no problem, not to mention working on some of the simulators of identifying certain plants.

And then there was another little girl. At one point Makoto saw her in the rafters above the Traning facility. That was impressive in and of itself. She also apparently stole a knife from one of the Careers, breaking out a fight that she just watched from, above, knife dangling between her fingertips.

Makoto came back from the training center feeling a little bit better, but he still had this sinking feeling in his stomach.

Junko of course wanted to know everything about it. Makoto tried to answer her, but his hands were shaking as he ate and he just felt extremely tired. Eventually, he excused himself without finishing his plate and walked to his room. There he saw the Avox girl cleaning up. She stood up and looked at him. Makoto swallowed. He didn't know what to say to her. "Um... I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

The girl shook her head and continued her task. Makoto stood there awkwardly, trying to find his words. "I... my name is Makoto Naegi, what's your name?"

She looked at him, confused. Shit, he probably wasn't supposed to ask her things like that. She could get in trouble. But to his surprise she set the things in her hands down and walked over, turning over his hand and tracing letters onto his palm. C - H - I - A - K - I. "Chiaki?" he asked.

She nodded, smiling. Makoto smiled as well. "Nice to meet you, Chiaki. Can I help you clean up?"

They spent the rest of the time she was there in comfortable silence. He waved to her when she left and then collapsed into bed. He had been worried before that she would maybe enjoy watching him die, but maybe she was on good terms with him after all.

His eyes fluttered closed as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry not sorry for making Chiaki the Avox.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last two days of training and then Evaluation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say again how much fun this is?! Ah, this is a lot of fun to write!
> 
> Absolutely can't wait until I get to write the Interview parts, that going to be so much fun! :D

"Can I ask you something?"

Makoto looked up from his work. He was attempting to make a fire, being successful in making a few sparks until Komaeda spoke. The taller was watching him, arm propped up on one bent leg. He stared intently at him. "That purple-haired girl. She's your friend, right?"

"Kirigiri? Yeah, she's my friend." Makoto replied. "She came to see you didn't she?"

Komaeda nodded. "She seems to care about you. Are you two dating?"

Makoto shook his head. "Common mistake, but we're just friends."

Komaeda hummed, then shifted eyes to the side. Makoto looked where he was looking to see the Careers watching them intently. Komaeda stood up and walked over to one of the stimulations. It was one that would fire spears at you and you had to block them. He took up no weapon and walked in the middle of it. Makoto ran up to the edge. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Komaeda smiled. "Can't let them stare at me like a full course meal without giving them a show first," she said and pressed the start button.

People gathered as it began. One of the weapons shot out and missed Komaeda by an inch. He smiled and moved again before freezing. Once again a weapon shot and struck directly next to him. He did this multiple times, getting faster each time, seemingly trusting in the universe to take care of him. Others watched in awe. Komaeda and his fancy footwork walking around the simulation as though he knew where the spears would go each time.

The last one went off and he only moved his head a little to the side, the sharp end cutting his cheek, not a deep enough wound to draw a lot of blood, but a little droplet fell down his face. The simulation ended and he walked out. Makoto stared at him blankly. "What was that?" he asked.

Komaeda shrugged. "I just trusted my luck is all."

"That's putting a lot of faith in something that might get you killed."

"Yup, that's what makes it impressive," he said and walked off.

Makoto refused to shoot a bow regardless of what Komaeda did. Mukuro told him not to, he wasn't going to disobey her. Ergo, the last day was fairly uneventful. Unless you count that one time where Komaeda pointed out that the small girl that was in the rafters the first day was watching Makoto from a distance.

"Do you think she would want to team up with you?" Komaeda asked.

"If she would it would be a Goddamn miracle. From what I've seen, I like her."

Komaeda stared at the screen displaying the Tributes and their names. "Her name's Chihiro Fujisaki, District 11," he noted.

Makoto stared at her little picture. She looked like she was being held at gunpoint. Chihiro, huh... He looked and spotted the black-haired girl, Celestia Ludenburg. He'd definitely have to watch out for her.

"Alright, tomorrow's the big day, what's the plan?" Mukuro said, dead serious, elbows slouched on the table.

Komaeda finished chewing before speaking. "Going to trust my luck again," he said.

"The spear simulation?" Makoto inquired.

Komaeda considered this, then simply shrugged. "Something like that," he said vaguely.

"Whatever happens with you, I'm sure you won't be a high-value target to them," Mukuro said, then turned to Makoto. "And you're going to shoot, right?"

Makoto nodded. "My concerns lie with the fact that I'm not sure how tightly strung or how heavy the drawstring will be. Those things are going to affect how well I shoot for sure. I can practice in the arena but I haven't gotten practice with the bows here."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Mukuro said as she poured Vodka into a glass. "You'll figure it out."

**____________**

The Evaluation went by District, boys first, then girls. Komaeda would go before Makoto, so Makoto would go very last.

After waiting for nearly an hour Komaeda was sent in. Makoto felt his blood pressure rising and tried to keep his breathing even as he waited. Eventually, he was called in. Shit.

He walked in to see the Gamemakers in a little loft above the Training Center. They seemed more engrossed in the food and drink than they were in him. Makoto grabbed a bow and quiver from the rack and turned to them, clearing his throat. "Makoto Naegi, District 12," he announced.

A few waved him off. Some were watching him, but not all of them. It was obvious they were bored. Makoto took a deep breath and walked over to the target. He pulled the string back. It was heavier than he was used to, and the bow had more complications. He narrowed his eyes and released the arrow. It barely made it inside the target. He huffed and turned to the Gamemakers. None of them cared, they were much too distracted by the others there and the food.

Makoto grabbed another arrow, this time taking his time to get a proper feel for the bow and its mechanics. Then he pulled the string back once again, exhaled, and shot.

This one landed in the bullseye. He shot a few more and had to be careful not to break the other arrows clustering around each other. 

None of the Gamemakers cared. A roast pig had just been brought out, and they seemed much more interested in that than whatever Makoto was doing. He stepped closer.

Makoto was not a violent person normally. He'd much rather talk than solve his problems with his fists. He watched as the Gamemakers seemed to not realized he had stopped and they simply started talking to each other about everyday kinds of things like this was some kind of party.

Makoto was not a violent person. He told himself that as he slowly pulled an arrow out of his quiver and placed it into the bow. He was not a violent person. He pulled the string back, aiming for the Gamemakers, wanting nothing more than to shoot one their thick heads and get rid of them.

He wasn't a violent person, but he was salty as fuck.

He released the arrow. It shot right through the apple in the pig's mouth and cementing it in the wall, startling everyone. One guy fell over into the punch bowl.

They all looked at him, shocked, stunned, some even looked offended. Makoto threw the bow and quiver onto the ground and took a half-hearted bow.

"Thank you for your consideration," he said with a smile then walked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makoto is a salty boi.
> 
> I hope everyone is enjoying so far! Sorry for the fairly short chapter today!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tributes get their scores from the Evaluation and then some interesting development happens between the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this as much fun to read as it is to write?
> 
> Our characters are dEvElOpInG, anyone else excited?

Makoto kept up the facade until he stepped into the elevator, then he covered his mouth with his hands and fell to his knees.

He wasn't thinking when he did that, he didn't mean to do something so reckless. What were they going to do with him? Cut off his tongue and make him an Avox?

Makoto took a deep breath and composed himself, standing back up. No, they wouldn't do that. The worst they could do was make the Game hell for him. At least he didn't hurt any of the Gamemakers. Probably just their pride.

He stepped out of the elevator to Mukuro, Junko, and Komaeda. They seemed to have stopped their conversation the second they came in. Komaeda straightened his spine. "How'd it go?" he asked with a smile.

Makoto blinked. He walked over and sat down next to him. "I shot at the Gamemakers," he said.

Junko gasped. "You did WHAT?!" she exclaimed.

Mukuro chuckled. "Wow, I gotta admit, you got some balls, kid," she remarked.

Komaeda seemed concerned. "Why did you do that?"

Makoto shrugged. "I guess... I was annoyed they were paying attention to me, that they thought a roasted pig was more interesting. So I shot the apple in the pig's mouth and then left."

"Did you say anything before you left?" Mukuro asked.

"I said, 'thank you for your consideration' and then walked out."

Mukuro laughed out loud, nearly spilling her drink on Junko, who made a disgusted noise and dusted herself off. "That's no way to talk to the men and women that have complete control over how you do in the games! You're just asking to die!"

Makoto leaned back. "Maybe. But... I guess I'm going to die anyway. I guess I wanted to let them know that I didn't care, that they could throw whatever they wanted at me and I wouldn't give up." he said, more to himself than anyone else.

Then he looked over at Komaeda. "What did you do?" he asked.

Komaeda stared at him blankly. "Um... I talked to them."

Junko scrunched up her nose. "I still don't understand how that works," she grumbled.

Komaeda waved her off and continued. "I didn't do the spears things again. I did the natural disaster simulator, then I just... talked to them. I think they thought I was talking to myself. They dismissed me after a few minutes then I left."

"Did you notice if they were paying attention to you at all?" Makoto inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Komaeda hummed. "Nah, I don't think they cared either."

Makoto nodded. Should've expected that. They never cared about the last District. 12 usually got lower scores mostly because the Gamemakers didn't care.

The TV turned on and the anthem started playing. Everyone turned as they began to announce the scores. Makoto would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see what he and Komaeda got. Both District 1 tributes received 8s, everyone else was averaging around 5. Celestia got a 6, and little Chihiro surprised Makoto with a whopping 8. 

"Nagito Komaeda, District 12... a 4."

Komaeda shrugged. "Meh, could've been worse," he remarked.

Makoto smiled. "It's not awful," he said.

"Well, let's see what you got," he replied.

"And, last but not least... Makoto Naegi, District 12..."

Makoto braced himself for the worst, squeezing his eyes shut. Here go any chances of him getting Sponsors.

"An 11!"

He slowly opened his eyes. Junko's hands were covering her mouth, and she clearly looked excited. Mukuro was nodding in approval, and all of a sudden he felt himself be enclosed in the arms of Komaeda. He hugged his friend back... wow that was weird to think, they were friends now, huh?

"Congratulations," he whispered.

Junko squealed. "Makoto! This is great! Sponsors will be falling over themselves to get to you! This is great!"

"That, or the Gamemakers knew what they were doing and wanted you to get targeted by everyone else by having the highest score," Mukuro added, taking a long drink from her flask.

Junko pushed her, enough to make the woman choke on her drink. "Stop being such a fucking pessimist! This is a good thing! If he performs well at the interviews then Makoto could actually win this thing on Sponsors alone!"

Makoto smiled. He was actually having high hopes for this now. But then he looked over at Komaeda. "What about you?" he asked.

Komaeda smiled and waved him off. "Don't you worry about little old me. I'll be fine, and even if I'm not I will be."

"That doesn't-"

"Anyways!" Junko stood up, interrupting them. "The interviews are incredibly important for you! This will solidify any Sponsors for you two! This is how we're going to do this, Komaeda will train with me in this aspect, and Mukuro will train Makoto. Sound good?"

Makoto looked at her quizzically. "Why do we need to train separately?" he asked.

Junko waved her hands around as she talked. "Because by this point you aren't working together, you are two different tributes, and therefore need different strategies for the interviews," she explained.

"That and Komaeda suggested that this would be the best course of action for the interviews," Mukuro added.

Before we go any further, I need to explain the interviews. As our protagonists have stated, this is a way to gain Sponsors. Their stylists will dress them up in flashy outfits and they'll go on stage and talk with Monomi, the Hunger Games announcer and close friend to President Monokuma. She would ask them things such as their personal life and if they believed they would win the games.

Makoto never imagined they would need training for this kind of thing. He wasn't quite sure how he'd perform in that kind of setting, but as long as was himself he should be fine, right?"

He looked at Komaeda. "You... wanted to be trained separately for this?"

He felt a little... I don't know, betrayed? He thought maybe he and Komaeda could work together at some point, maybe.

Komaeda leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "There's a reason I'm doing this. I can't tell you details, but trust me, okay?"

"I..." Did he trust him? Should he really put something like his life in Komaeda's hands? "I... I trust you."

Komaeda smiled at him before standing up and walking out of the room, waving with one hand as he closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update cause I have to go to a thingy :/
> 
> Next chapter gonna be EXCITING :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interview time!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that this was probably my favorite chapter to write so far?
> 
> The interviews were definitely one of my favorite parts both reading and watching the Hunger Games. I hope I did them justice, bit of a long chapter cause I had to cram everything in, but I'm sure you all don't mind!

"So what would you say are your best traits?" Mukuro asked, lounging on the chair in Makoto's room while he stood in the center.

Makoto furrowed his brow. "Um..." he had to think about that. What had other people complimented him for? "I'm... I guess surprising? I'm pretty small but agile and not many would assume I can shoot a bow. Oh, and I'm optimistic."

Mukuro looked like she was waiting for more. "That's it?" she eventually said.

Makoto shrugged. "Humble, I guess?"

She groaned, then stood up and started whacking him in specific places. "Head up, shoulders back, and, for god's sake, _smile_."

Makoto offered her a small smile. She scrunched up her face. "Yeah... even I can tell that looks fake."

He dropped his face. Mukuro sighed. "Alright... um, I can work with this," she mumbled to herself. "Your biggest draw is the fact you volunteered for your sister. Talk about that."

Makoto inhaled slowly then let it out. "I can do that," he replied.

"Right, but I'll need you to act like it hurts but you're pushing through for her, can you do that?"

"I can try."

The next few hours went like this. Makoto wasn't one to draw very much attention to himself. He wasn't confident, he wasn't sexy, wasn't meek, wasn't aggressive, wasn't anything interesting. Besides, he had no idea how he would perform on stage, he'd never been on the spot like that before.

"Oh, come on, Mukuro, you can't force something like these." a voice from the doorway said as Mukuro was attempting to teach Makoto how to fake a smile without it actually looking fake.

Makoto looked over and sighed in relief. Tsumugi was here to save the day. She walked over and spun Makoto around like a partner in a dance. "You're perfect just being yourself. Just do what you think you should do, and you'll make the audience fall in love with you all over again."

"I like her style," Makoto remarked, looking over his shoulder at Mukuro, who rolled her eyes.

"Fine, teach this man how to get Sponsors, I'll be over here drinking my problems away," Mukuro said as she sat down in the chair again and opened her flask.

Tsumugi smiled. "Listen, talking about your sister will be a good thing. But I can confirm that Monomi will help you, she's good at that. Just pretend you're talking to me, okay?"

Makoto nodded. "That I can do," he replied.

Tsumugi pulled him into a hug. "Good, now I'm going to give you a few more tips before we get you into your outfit, kay?"

"Got it."

Training with Tsumugi proved to work a lot better, and Makoto felt ready to go by the time the Interviews were upon them. Tsumugi left the room and in came his attendants, which swept him away to the beautification room to get him ready. They cleaned him up and made sure he looked nice for the Interviews. Makoto had never worn makeup before but they put some on him and it felt weird like someone had put paint on his face and turned him into a masterpiece.

When they were done Tsumugi walked into the room, a covered outfit hanging on the hangar she had on her arm. She smiled and adjusted her glasses. "Close your eyes and trust me," she said.

Makoto did as he was told. He felt the fabric slip onto his naked body and then felt as Tsumugi made certain adjustments. The outfit felt like 5 pounds already. Then she told him to open his eyes.

The person in the mirror was very much not him. This person had soft smoother hair and a pretty face that shimmered with body glitter. His outfit was a white suit jacket that fanned out like a dress in the back, gemstones shining like flames on the ends. The black button-up underneath had three buttons open and red accents. The pants were the same.

Tsumugi set shoes in front of him, simple black shoes with a heel that made him look slightly taller. She gave him black gloves that he slipped on gingerly. She then looked at him once more and smiled. "You look great." she breathed.

Makoto smiled. "I feel... pretty." he breathed.

Tsumugi stepped forward and pinned one last thing to the coat, the Mockingjay pin Kirigiri gave him. Makoto touched it gently. "How...?"

"Found it on your clothes, hope it's okay?"

Makoto smiled. "It's perfect, thank you."

They walked out to see Komaeda, Junko, and Mukuro waiting for them. Komaeda had a very similar scheme to Makoto's outfit, black suit with flames accents and black and red pants, also wearing button-up with three buttons undone. His hair was tied back and thrown over his shoulder again.

"Are you wearing contacts?" Makoto asked.

Komaeda smiled and winked at him. "Ready to go, boy on fire?" he said, extending his hand.

Makoto took it without hesitation this time. "As I'll ever be."

**__________**

The stage was big, many people sitting in the audience as the Tributes waited backstage to go up. Opposite to the Evaluation, girls first, then boys. Makoto would be second to last.

Monomi stepped out on the stage, all half and half hair with a frilly dress and wide smile, heterochromia not unlike President Monkuma's shining in the lights. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and all those in between the spectrum! I hope you are having a wonderful Hunger Games so far!"

The audience cheered. Monomi had that effect on people. She beamed and continued to speak. "Tonight we have the boys and girls from District's one through twelve here tonight before they fight for their lives tomorrow! We're starting with District 1, Toko Fukawa!"

The purple-haired Career now named Toko stepped on to the stage, all black sexy dress and pretty braids, glasses sitting proudly on her nose, now decorated with little gems and fake flowers. It was clear she was going the sexy route here. She talked with Monomi for about five minutes before being escorted off. Next was her partner, Byakuya Togami. He was taking the confident route, saying things like, "I have no doubt in my mind that I won't survive this, why would I?" making Makoto want to puke.

The Tributes kept coming, Celestia going up, and she really did look pretty in a Queen of Hearts style outfit, black hair carefully curled into what looked like drills. She was confident as well, but clearly lying about her sureness, talking instead about how she would use the prize money to buy a castle in her District and be the closest thing to a Princess as possible.

Little Chihiro looked adorable in a little green poofy dress, not really speaking all that much about herself, more of her District and what she planned to do inside the arena.

The time crept by and made Makoto even more nervous. He didn't let go of Komaeda's hand until they called him up. He walked to the side of the stage and waited until the District 11 man stepped off.

"Next up, District 12, Makoto Naegi!" Monomi announced.

People cheered very loudly for him. He smiled and gave a little wave to them as he sat down next to Monomi. The woman beamed at him, and he had a hard time believing her smile was fake. "Now, if I may, Naegi, may I mention your Evaluation score... 11! How on earth did you manage that?" she asked.

Makoto blinked. "Uh... I mean... I would tell but I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to talk about that." he said with a little laugh, looking over to where the Gamemaker's booth was. "Right?" he asked them.

One of them shouted down. "He's not!"

The audience laughed and so did Monomi. "Aw, dang it! But it's no problem, we can talk about the parade instead!" she was really good at changing the subject and bringing out the best of people. "You were really amazing out there! Were those truly real flames?"

Makoto cocked his head. "You saw them, didn't you? Of course, they were real." Then he stood up suddenly. "I'm wearing them tonight, wanna see?"

Monomi gasped. "Could you? Is it safe?" she asked.

Makoto smiled. "Of course it is," he said, then proceeded to spin, making the tails of the jacket fan out and create sparks and flames with the gems. The audience went wild as he continued to spin, smiling as he did so, finally stopping, a little off balance.

"Don't stop!" Monomi encouraged.

"I have to, I'm dizzy!" Makoto said, falling down on the chair, giggling.

When he finally composed himself Monomi was fanning herself. "That was... _incredible_." she breathed. "You really are the boy on fire aren't you?"

Makoto shrugged. "I'd like to think so."

Monomi nodded. "If I may... one of the things that intrigued many of those watching the Reaping was when you volunteered for your sister. Were you worried they wouldn't let you since you weren't female?"

Makoto drew his mouth into a thin line. "That still wouldn't stop me. I was going to make sure I was there instead of her no matter what. I couldn't let them send her off to die. The mere thought of spending the rest of my life without her is unbearable to me."

Monomi nodded like she completely understood. "She's that important to you?"

"Yes... she is." Makoto breathed.

The bell rang to signal his last moments on stage and Monomi shook his hand. "Thank you very much for joining us today, Naegi."

"Pleasure's all mine," he said then was escorted off.

Komaeda smiled at him. Makoto mouthed "Good luck" before the taller stepped on stage.

Makoto was nervous about Komaeda's interview. He had no idea what Junko and he talked about, but he knew he was probably going to pull the 'incurable disease' card to get sympathy from everyone.

Komaeda sat down next to Monomi and they started talking.

"So, Komaeda... what would you say has been your favorite thing about the Capital?" Monomi asked.

"Oh, I'm going to have to say the beds, one hundred percent. I haven't gotten a better night's sleep in a long time," he said with a smile.

The audience laughed at that. Monomi giggled as well. "Well, can't argue with that. What about the food? Has it been better than what they have at District 12?"

"Yes, definitely. The food there is crap unless you get it from _outside_."

Makoto vaguely wondered if he meant the meat they got from outside the fence.

"Well, I can definitely see that. Speaking of which, a young man as handsome as you are, you must have a girlfriend back home, right?" Monomi continued.

Komaeda's smile shrank. Makoto raised an eyebrow. "I... I hate to disappoint you but I'm not interested in females."

A quiet gasp went through the audience. Makoto was shocked. No one ever came out during the interviews, it was a dangerous move since you could either gain or lose Sponsors from something like that. Apparently Komaeda was willing to take that risk.

Monomi seemed to consider this. "Ah, then let me rephrase. Is there a certain special _boy_ you have back home?" she said.

Komaeda let an easy smile rest on his face and nodded. "There is."

Cheers from that. Komaeda chuckled and continued. "There's this guy I've liked for a long time, not that he's noticed me. Why would he? Someone as worthless as myself doesn't deserve to be recognized by someone like him."

"Aw, don't say that," Monomi spoke. "Y'know, if you win, then surely he'd have to go out with you then, right?"

Komaeda frowned and looked down at his lap. "I wish that were true. Winning wouldn't help in my case."

"And why is that?"

"Because... he..." Komaeda took a deep breath. "He came here with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop-


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm guessing there were a lot of mixed reactions regarding the bombshell (not really if you've read the books) last chapter.
> 
> It's in the tags that this would be a ship fic... and those who know what happens then you know what happens.

It took a minute for people to process what Komaeda had said. Then collective gasps and screams echoed through the crowd as the camera scanned over to fall on Makoto's shocked face. He felt like he was going to hyperventilate. 

Monomi cleared her throat and motioned for the crowd to calm down. "I'm... I'm very sorry to hear that," she said. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight."

Komaeda stood up and walked off the stage, without even saying goodbye. Mukuro and Junko were waiting for them. Makoto was still in a semi-sense of shock as they walked down the hallway, then he snapped. He grabbed Komaeda by the collar and pushed him against the wall. The taller winced as his head hit the wall. "What the hell was that?!" Makoto yelled. "Why did you say that?!"

Komaeda smiled a little as Mukuro pulled Makoto away. "Hey hey hey, stop it. There's no reason to fight," she said sternly.

Makoto scowled. "No reason to fight? You've got to be kidding me! He took all attention off of himself and onto me! He made me look weak!"

"He made you look desirable," Junko added, putting her elbow on Komaeda's shoulder. "People fall for the star-crossed lover routine, and it's even more scandalous when it's with two boys. You'll have enough Sponsors to carry you through the games, trust me."

Makoto didn't know whether to feel mad or shocked. He wasn't sure what to feel. He turned to Komaeda. "How much of that was true?" he asked.

Komaeda blinked, he fixed the cuffs of his sleeves before answering. "The like the beds and the food better here... and I'm gay. That was the truth."

"Which was incredibly convenient for this scheme!" Junko said, clasping her hands together. "And the best part for you, you already fulfilled your role! Now you don't have to do anything about it! Just be sad when one of you dies or something!"

Makoto made a disgusted sound. "Why was I not made aware of this?" he hissed.

"Because your acting skills are shit," Mukuro interjected. "We knew you couldn't act surprised so we didn't tell you. You got the exact reaction we wanted and now it's all over. Now all you have to do is survive the games."

He still wasn't sure how comfortable about this, but Komaeda had a glint in his eyes, a glint of what Makoto didn't know. He bit the corners of his mouth. "Fine... whatever, I don't care."

He ripped his clothes off and put on something soft and black as soon as he got into his room. He fell into his bed and curled into a ball, wanting to forget everything. Pretty soon someone knocked on his door. "Can you come back later?" he called.

The door opened anyway. Komaeda stepped in and closed the door quietly behind him. Makoto groaned and turned over. "Go away."

"If that would make you happier, then I would. But I don't think it really will." Komaeda said, waiting over and sitting down on the bed next to him. "You feel sick to your stomach, right? From having someone disgusting like me confess their undying love for you, even if it was fake?"

Makoto sat up and looked at Komaeda. "I never said that," he replied. "You... you aren't disgusting... but I can't afford to get attached, even though I'd really like to." he pulled his knees up to his chest. "If I do... I can't even imagine what my reaction would be if you died in there."

They sat in a small silence before Komaeda extended his hand. "Care for a walk?" he asked.

He took him all the way up, to a little garden area dimly lit and sparking with a million types of plants Makoto had never seen before. "Wow... did you know about this place?"

Komaeda shrugged. "Just a lucky guess."

They walked around for a few minutes, talking about small things until they came to a little balcony area. Makoto leaned over to look down at the Capital, still bustling even though it was 11 pm. "Why did you agree to Junko's plan?" Makoto spat out before he even realized what he was saying.

Komaeda thought about it before shrugging. "I... don't really know. I guess part of it was the mere idea of being close to someone like you... someone so beautiful, so hopeful... was so _tempting_ , so _intoxicating_... I don't think I could've refused if I wanted to."

"You think that way about me?"

Komaeda nodded. "Yes... you really are magnificent in that way."

Makoto let a soft smile take over his face. "Aw, thanks," he replied. "You're amazing too, y'know. You're kind and smart and so fucking confident... I could never."

Komaeda elbowed him lightly. "No, I'm really not."

"Yes, you are. Don't deny it or I will chuck you off this balcony."

"Now that's a lie. You don't have a violent bone in your body."

"Bet."

They talked for a few more minutes until Makoto started yawning and rubbing his eyes. "You need sleep, c'mon, let's go back," Komaeda said, extending his hand once again.

Makoto took it and didn't let go until they were in his room. He climbed into his bed and right before Komaeda was about to leave... "Wait," he said.

Komaeda stopped. To this day, Makoto never knew what urged him to do this. "Stay with me?" he requested.

The taller looked confused. "I thought... you hated me?"

Makoto smiled at him. "I could never hate you."

**_________**

"Alright, black undershirt, check. Green hoodie, check. Black jacket, check. Black pants, check. Hiking shoes, check..." Tsumugi rambled to herself as she assisted Makoto into the outfit he would be wearing in the games.

He was jittery, could you blame him? Of course, he was nervous, he was about to be in a killing game, a deadly bloodbath that would test every survival skill he knew. It wasn't the good kind of adrenaline either. 

"Right... and one last thing."

Tsumugi reached into her pocket and pinned the mocking bird pin to the inside of Makoto's jacket, on the hoodie. "How did you get that approved?" Makoto asked.

Jewelry usually wasn't allowed, since there was once a girl that brought a poison dart inside a ring to the games once, claiming to not have known beforehand. Now all accessories had to be checked thoroughly or left behind. Tsumugi simply smiled. "A lot of paperwork," she replied.

They walked to the giant tube that would transport Makoto up to the platforms. An intercom went off. " _One minute until launch_." the voice said.

Makoto stood on the platform and Tsumugi made sure she was all ready to go. "Right, good luck," she said cheerfully.

Makoto smiled and nodded. "Thanks," he said.

She held up his shaking hands in her own and gently kissed his knuckles. "I'm not allowed to bet, but I want you to know... if I could, then I would bet on you. Without question," she said with a smile then pulled him into a hug.

Makoto hugged her back. Tsumugi was a friend to him, not just his stylist, and he was going to miss her so much. "Goodbye," he whispered.

"Not goodbye. _See you later_." Tsumugi offered.

Makoto let out a half-laugh. "Right, see you later," he said, wanting to cry.

"See you later, boy on fire."

Tsumugi stepped back and the tube closed. Makoto felt himself slowly be transported upwards until Tsumugi was out of sight, and then set on top of a platform in front of a giant silver cornucopia.

The 74th Hunger Games had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May the odds be ever in your favor...


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of the games, first day and first night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all do realize I do competitive riflery and used to do archery, right?
> 
> I know what I'm talking about my dudes.

Sixty seconds. That how long they would have to stand on the platforms and decide where to go from there. If they stepped off mines from below the ground would blow them to smithereens. He's seen it happen a few times, it's not pretty.

Makoto immediately spots a bow and quiver full of at least two dozen arrows in the cornucopia. There were also plenty of supplies around the cornucopia, all varying in different usefulness.

He crouched down. Can he make it and then dash off? Could he really? The timer ticked down in his head. Thirty seconds. Maybe he could. He was fast, but was he fast enough?

Makoto flicked his eyes to the side to see a tuft of white hair and grey-green eyes. Komaeda smiled at him from a few spaces away. Makoto blinked, and he could've sworn he was shaking his head.

Then the alarm went off. Makoto freaked out. He ran forward only to grab an orange backpack and a sheet of plastic. A man with brunette dreadlocks tackled him and fought him for the backpack. Makoto tried to kick him off but then felt blood splatter all over his face. The man fighting him fell over, a knife lodged in his back. Makoto looked up to see Toko standing there, knifes in her hands, tongue out in a psychotic manner.

Makoto scrambled up, ripped the knife out of the deadlocks guy (might come in handy later), and ran towards the forest, narrowly dodging another knife. He didn't stop running until he felt like he was going to throw up, which was a considerable distance. He rotated between a light jog and a sprint every few minutes until he slowed down to a speed walk.

He looked up at the sky, it was nearly noon at that point, then was startled by canon shots signifying the deaths of tributes. He counted them. 9... 10... 11... Eleven people died already. Nearly half of them were already lost. Damn.

Makoto kept walking, he wanted to walk until either his legs gave out or until it started getting dark. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Komaeda had been one those people in the bloodbath, bled white from a stab wound, or having his neck broken. The thought filled him with dread.

Most of the arena seemed to be forest so far. That's good, plenty of wood, also usually meant plenty of animals which meant plenty of food. A lot of thought went into the arenas, especially after that one year where it was winter themes and half the tributes died from hypothermia.

One of Makoto's biggest concerns at the moment was finding shelter to take stock of his supplies and rest for a bit. Fortunately, after maybe an hour he found a tree that would both conceal his presence to the naked eye and be fairly easy to climb. He stepped up onto it and climbed as far as he could, settling in a little area and sitting down so he could unpack the bag and review its contents. 

The bag itself was big, save for the atrocious color. Maybe he'd be able to cover it up with mud. There was a water bottle that would hold maybe a liter of water, of course, not filled. Bottle of iodine, crackers, dried beef, a sleeping bag that reflected body heat, a few yards of rope, a swiss army knife, and a small loaf of bread. Not terrible, but not the best. He would work with it.

Makoto briefly considered climbing down and getting more distance between him and the cornucopia, then decided that was the best course of action considering his biggest concern was water at the moment. 

He slowly shimmied his way down and landed on soft dirt. He continued walking for a few more hours, listening for any more canons in the distance, occasionally eating some of his food to keep him energized. 

Eventually, the sun started to set so Makoto found another tree and climbed up, tying himself to the tree branches so he didn't fall off and slipping into the sleeping bag. The stars started coming out and the anthem rang through the forest. Makoto looked up to see the faces through the sky, silently praying Komaeda wasn't one of the recently deceased. 

Luckily, he wasn't. And neither was either of the District 1 Tributes, Celestia, or Chihiro. Makoto let out an audible sigh. He could only hope Komaeda was okay. 

Soon enough, before he drifted off to sleep, he noticed someone started a fire near him. He snorted. That was suicide. Fire creates light and smoke which can be tracked easily. Better to stick it out than risk getting caught.

Then he heard voices, Makoto froze in the trees, and saw more flames, then heard a blood-curdling scream. He wasn't going to say he told you so, but...

The voices cheered. Makoto recognized a few of them. Togami, Toko... maybe even the blue-haired girl... Sayaka was her name? and a few more.

"Twelve down, eleven more to go!" Shouted one of them.

"Bold to assume you aren't going to be one of those eleven." Togami spat.

"Oh shuddap."

"Did the canon go off?"

Makoto felt a shiver run through his body. That voice... that was Komaeda.

"I think so. Wanna go check, lover boy?"

"Not particularly."

"Shut up!" Sayaka shrieked. "I'll go and finish her off, okay! Wait here for me..."

Footsteps. Makoto sank lower into his sleeping bag.

"I don't even know why we're keeping you around." someone hissed.

He heard Komaeda chuckle, a laugh he knew all too well. "You're right, you should just kill me know, it'd be so much easier for you guys."

A slap, Togami must've put him in his place. "Don't be daft. We need you to find Naegi, you're the one who knows him best. We'll kill him first, then you'll get your sweet release of death." he said.

A cannon shot. Footsteps. "Okay, she's dead now," Sayaka said.

Makoto shivered. The Careers were really heartless. "Okay, let's go. We have to find Naegi before he gets too far away from us."

With those final words from Togami and the Careers plus Komaeda walked away. Makoto didn't dare move until he was certain they were completely gone, even then he waited a few minutes before letting himself slip in unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This had to go through five and a half million revisions and I'm still not completely happy with it.
> 
> So so so sorry that it's so short but I really didn't know what to do with this chapter. :/


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto almost dies from thirst and then gets attack by fireballs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. Life's been kicking me in the balls lately. If I end up missing an day or two of updating... I'm sorry. I'll try and make up for it because this is one of the things that's keeping me sane right now.
> 
> As always, please enjoy.

It's fine, this was fine. Everything was fine.

Except it wasn't.

It's been a day since the bloodbath, and during that time all Makoto really did was walk and sleep. He tried to hunt but simply didn't have the energy for it. And he just got thirstier. 

He wasn't able to find a decent water source for all the miles he'd walked. There was a lake near the cornucopia but he sure as hell wasn't going back there, that would be suicide.

So he just kept walking, hoping to find some kind of water source before he died of dehydration. Which was a lot harder than you think. Constantly licking your lips, trying to swallow but having to saliva left in your mouth, eating only for it to amplify the effects. Makoto remembered something he learned in school, the average human can survive almost a month without food, but only three to seven days without water. Shit.

Sometimes he would see animals around. There were a few goose-like creatures, rabbits, and of course, birds. Specifically Mockingjays.

Let me tell you a story about Mockingjays. They weren't supposed to exist. During the war 74 years ago the Capital would develop these genetically-engineered creatures, later they would be nicknames _mutts_ , one of then being a breed of bird called a jabber jay. It would record full conversations and say them back on command. That would give the Capital information on the Districts. Eventually, the Districts learned of this and began to give them false information. The Capital released the jabber jays into the wild, meaning for them to die since they were all engineered to be male, but instead, they bred with mockingbirds... creating the Mockingjay, a bird that can repeat sounds and musical notes of its own free will.

The Mockingjay was a creature the Capital never intended to exist.

The jabber jays did die out eventually, but the Mockingjays were still here, and they would be for a long time.

Makoto snared a few, cooking them over hot coals instead of a proper fire, then putting it out quickly and eating on the go. He had done this a hundred times before, and it distracted him from the thirst. Kept reminding himself... if there were animals, there was water.

On the third day, it started to get unbearable. It felt like claws were scratching up his throat, lips and tongue dry. His mind was clouded and he could barely think properly. At one point he touched his lips and said out loud, and he still didn't remember why exactly he did this, "Komaeda probably doesn't wanna kiss me..."

He kept waiting for, even sometimes voicing aloud, Mukuro to bring him liquid, to allow a Sponsor to give him some, something of the kind. Something that would relieve him. How much would that even cost? A couple hundred yen for a liter?

He sat down at the trunk of a tree, vision cloudy and brain ready to shut down. Mukuro... Mukuro was smart. She was so very smart. So she probably could see Makoto... and she could see water close by. Urging him to keep going... just a little longer.

He begrudgingly got up and started walking again. He walked for maybe an hour until he fell to his knees. Was he really going to die here? Of thirst no less? Komaeda would be so disappointed in him.

The ground was soft and squishy. Mud. Makoto liked mud. This probably wasn't the worst place to die.

He opened his eyes. Mud. Mud was a mixture of dirt and...

WATER.

He scrambled up and started running, pretty quickly coming to a little pond with a little waterfall leading to a stream. Makoto threw himself into the water and laughed. He did it, he found it! He found the water!

Makoto filled the water bottle full and squeezed the iodine in, waiting thirty agonizing minutes before chugging half the thing. It felt so good to have the liquid go down his throat like that again.

He whined out loud, already missing the Capital and its food. He slowly drank the rest of the water, staying with his legs in the water. It felt so good after walking for almost three days straight.

He ended up staying all the way until it was nighttime. Then he found a tree and climbed up, just sitting there. No canon shots have gone off yet. They were bound to throw something in the arena soon.

Makoto laid his head against the trunk. He wondered how Komaeda was doing with the Careers. He wasn't dead yet, but he could be damn close. God, what he would give to see him one last time.

He felt his eyes slip closed but caught himself, quickly preparing his little nest. Ropes so he wouldn't fall, sleeping bag, and fit snugly between two branches.

Makoto didn't fall asleep for a bit of time, mostly because he was thinking. Thinking too hard was bad. He just needed to survive for now.

He turned around and slipped into unconsciousness. 

**________**

Things were kind of blurry. He was sitting in the middle of the cornucopia, bow and quiver a few feet in front of him. But whatever he was sitting on was _so comfy_... he didn't want to get up to get it.

Then a pair of arms wrapped around his torso. " _Makoto, you're gonna need to get them eventually. How else are you gonna kill the Tributes_?"

Makoto turned around to see Komaeda smiling up at him. Apparently he was now sitting in his lap. "I... um... I don't wanna kill anyone, Komaeda."

Komaeda laughed. " _That's rich. Then how will you win?_ "

"I..."

Komaeda coughed and vomited blood. Makoto screamed and got up. Somehow all of the arrows got themselves lodged into Komaeda's midsection. He giggled. " _Final showdown..._ " he whispered.

Makoto turned around to see the Careers, Togami in the middle, running towards him. He backed up and bounced up, nearly falling over. He looked around to find himself on the chariots from the parade, going at inhuman speeds. He looked at the front to see it was on fire, _real_ fire.

He looked around for an escape. He heard a chuckle from behind him as the chariot just got hotter. Monkuma stood there, on the back of the chariot, smiling and laughing maniacally. " _May the odds be ever in your favor, Makoto Naegi!_ " he shrieked.

Makoto woke up, realizing he wasn't imagining the heat. He looked around and set his gaze on the blazing tree behind him, and they were getting closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the reasons I deeply connect with Makoto is because of his kindness and ability to see good in almost everyone, and the fact that he's insecure about his abilities and feels like he's neither good nor terrible enough to be included in the Ultimates.
> 
> He's a big comfort character for me is what I'm trying to say, which is why I love this fic... because it's Makoto-centric and I get to write the character I feel connected to.
> 
> My friend just thinks he's hot. XD


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto gets chased by fire, then gets caught by the Careers and Komaeda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so I'm pretty sure I injured my non-dominat wrist which is hurting a lot so my writing ability is going to be a bit of a struggle. I have some chapters written ahead but once again if I miss a day then I'm sorry.
> 
> Other than that please enjoy!

Makoto's first instinct was to scramble out of the tree. Unfourtunetly, he roped himself in, so he had to rush to untie himself and stuff everything back in his backpack before climbing down and booking it.

He followed the stream, running as fast as he could, feeling the heat of the forest fire on his back. He didn't dare to look back, just kept running. This was most likely one of those arena events that the Gamemakers made to either draw him closer to other Tributes or to get something exciting happening. It was probably the former.

Something hot whizzed by his ear and the ground next to him exploded, causing him to trip. He regained his footing as quickly as possible and kept running. Great, now it was shooting fireballs at him.

Makoto was really running for his life here, the only thing keeping him going was pure adrenaline. He kept running, maybe for ten minutes, possibly twenty, feeling his chest tighten from lack of air and all the smoke, legs starting to get weaker.

How long would this drag out for? He felt his bangs stick to his forehead from sweat, gasping for air, vision going blurry. He faintly wondered if he would get sick from all this soot. Like how those Tributes so long ago got poisoning from the coal dust on their naked bodies.

A fireball hit right behind him and he flew into the air. It had caught him in his left leg, burning the skin. He screeched as he tumbled down a hill, pain shooting through his leg and his ribs. He groaned as he sat up and looked up to see if the fire was still following him. It wasn't.

The burning pain was the worst part. He looked down to see charred black skin leaking pink blood. "Ah... fuck..." he groaned.

He shifted his eyes to the right to see a small pond of water. He shimmed himself into it and letting his leg cool down in the cold water. He hissed once he lowered his calf in, where the majority of the wound was. But then sighed with the relief it provided.

The Gamemakers were truly cruel. There was probably one of them that was chuckling to themself, thinking, 'That's for shooting an arrow at us!'. Salty bastards. They were probably making fun of him from the parade as well. Wanting to see if he could really be the 'boy on fire'. Those sons of bitches take everything literally. He never asked to be called that. Tsumugi just referred to him like that and it caught on. 

Makoto sat there for a few minutes until he heard voices. He looked up to see a head of blue hair and then heard shrieking. Shit. They found him

He hurried out of the water and to the nearest climbable tree as the Careers chased him. He reached up and quickly climbed up, going branch by branch until he was a good 18 feet up.

The Careers had crowded around the tree, shouting up at him. Togami had the bow. _His_ bow. The bow he Makoto wanted to go after in the beginning but was too much a chicken to do so. Oh, to get his hands on that bow now... was he willing to kill for it?

Makoto crossed his legs so they couldn't see the wound and waved to them in a friendly manner. More shouting and cursing and spitting at him. This was fun.

Togami snarled and tried to climb up. "Oh, shit," Makoto exclaimed and climbed a little higher.

Togami fell on his back and cursed up at him. "Just shoot him." Toko offered.

"Good luck with that." Makoto taunted. Shooting upwards was a terrible idea unless you were sure you could reach your target.

Togami had his face twisted into a disgusted expression. He pulled the bowstring back as Makoto practically lounged on the tree branch he was on. He shot it and the arrow landed right below Makoto. Makoto grabbed it and smiled, holding it in his lap. "Thank you!"

Then he saw Komaeda and his face melted. Komaeda stared up at him, expression unreadable. Sayaka pushed him. "Do something, loverboy." she hissed. "Go get your boyfriend."

Komaeda shrugged. "No point. He has to come down eventually. Why don't we just wait until he does? It's almost noon, we can wait." he replied, sitting down.

Makoto sighed. Great, the wouldn't be after him for a while. That was good. That meant he could relax and think out his next move. The rest of the Careers begrudgingly agreed. Togami stared up at him with a disapproving expression. Makoto stuck his tongue out at him.

An hour went by, Makoto climbed a few more branches up for safety reasons and to tease the Careers. He couldn't help himself, they were just to easy to rile up. Komaeda acted like he didn't care, sitting there and picking at the grass and weeds around him.

Makoto's burn started hurting again. He tried pouring a little of his precious water on it to little relief. He tilted his head back and took deep breaths, only to see a little box on a parachute coming down. It landed in his lap. A Sponsor. He resisted the urge to cheer. He opened it to first see a little note from Mukuro. _Apply generously and survive, cupcake._

He mouthed a thank you and opened up the little pot of light green slime. He dipped his fingers in it and automatically felt the difference. He scooped up some and applied it to his leg. The result was almost magical. He sighed in relief. He looked at the sky, the sun was a few hours from setting. He could chill up here until the Careers fall asleep, maybe. But where to run from there?

**________**

Makoto didn't get much sleep. He only drifted off for a few hours after securing himself to the branch. The Careers slept in shifts, not letting Komaeda be one of the ones who stayed awake, even though he did anyways. He kept looking up at Makoto, and sometimes he would stare back.

Why had he decided to join the Careers? What was he to gain from it? Did they really just kidnap him and force him to work for them? That was probable. Maybe he wanted to use them to steer them away from Makoto... if it was that plan had failed dramatically.

Togami and Toko were cuddled together, Sayaka was using her bag for a pillow, and the one that was away was another female with caramel skin and brown hair in a ponytail. She seemed to be falling asleep. The other Career was another older-ish looking boy with chopped red hair and piercings. He was snoring incredibly loudly. Komaeda still didn't sleep. He seemed to be repeating something to himself since his mouth was moving, but no words came out. 

It was in the early hours of the morning, where Makoto was groggy and not truly thinking straight when he saw it.

Two little beady eyes staring at him from the tree in front of him.

He blinked. Was it a possum or something? Then the sun rose a little higher and he could make out an outline. Golden brown hair and amber eyes. A little girl with the skills to climb trees and hide like a pro.

Chihiro Fujisaki was sitting in the tree.

At first, he was confused. What was she doing here? What was her plan? She probably had total confidence that the Careers couldn't see her so why reveal herself to Makoto?

Then he saw her move. A tiny hand pointed upwards to something right above him.

Makoto followed her finger upward to see a large hive of what appeared to be large, golden bees.

Tracker Jackers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check tags for Chihiro's pronouns.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tracker Jackers... nuff said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry this is kinda a short chapter but I wasn't sure how to lengthen it.

Tracker Jackers were another type of mutt, genetically engineered wasps that were a million times more terrifying than any other kind of pollinators out there. Their venom caused vivid hallucinations, and more than a few would cause a very slow and painful death. They got their name because if you offended them they'd track you down till their last breath and kill you. Makoto vaguely wondered to himself why they were so calm. Must've been the smoke.

He looked back to see Chihiro giving him a subtle nod, then disappearing once again. He could hear her jumping from tree to tree, running as far away as possible.

Makoto couldn't exactly pinpoint why she told him. Was it supposed to be a warning? He couldn't climb down even if he wanted to. He looked down to see the brunette nodding off, not paying attention to him at all. He looked back up at the hive.

Would it be a good distraction? To dump the nest on them, have them scatter while he made a run for it? He looked down again. Sayaka was holding the bow. Maybe she would drop it if she were attacked, then he could grab it.

The real problem was the internal struggle Makoto had with deciding whether or not to spare Komaeda's life. He figured it would probably be better since they were from the same District... and they were friends and 'supposed' to be lovers. He had to give him some kind of sign to tell him to getaway.

The Tracker Jackers seemed calm for now, but he didn't know how long that would last. He locked eyes with Komaeda once again. The white-haired boy was staring at the nest as well. Makoto started moving his fingers in the sign language of different letters. L - A - K - E. Tracker Jackers hate water if he remembered correctly. So the lake near the cornucopia would be the best place to head if someone were to drop a hive of the wasps on them.

Komaeda gave a single nod and stood up, backing up slow enough not to draw attention to himself. Makoto reached into his bag and pulled out the little pot before anything else, hastily applying the medicine to his leg. His wound was already ten times better than it was yesterday, so that was a plus. Then he put it away and pulled out the knife. Another good thing, it was serrated.

He unhooked himself and climbed a little higher up, just so he could begin to saw at the piece of wood. He kept a close eye on the hive as he began to saw at the branch. It would drop down and then the wasps would come out and sting the Careers, he could only hope Komaeda was far enough away by then.

He fell into a rhythm of sawing, nearly halfway there when he felt a sting on his neck. He bit his tongue from trying not to scream and kept going, getting faster and faster. He was just a sliver away when he felt another sting on the back of his hand. He silently yelped, recoiling from the pain, before slamming the knife down one last time and watching as the branch fell.

The hive burst open and the wasps flew out. The girl that was supposed to be on watch screamed and woke the others, sending everyone into a panic. People got stung, surely the screams and shrieks could be heard from the other side of the arena. "Quickly, to the lake!" Togami shouted.

They ran, they ran but Sayaka tripped. The Tracker Jackers were merciless, taking the opportunity to sting her the entire time she screamed, Makoto could only cover his ears and try not to fall. He was beginning to hallucinate, vision going blurry.

Finally, a cannon shot rang through the forest, signaling the death of Sayaka Maizono. Makoto sighed in relief and climbed down quickly. Most of the Tracker Jackers had followed Togami and the others to the lake, so it was now or never.

Makoto rushed to her and began to pry the bow and arrows from her swollen fingers. This was not the beautiful girl he saw at the interviews, now you could barely tell what she looked like, oozing bumps covering her face and arms. Even the person with the strongest stomach in the world would've gagged at that sight, but Makoto didn't have time for that. He had to get this bow. It was his only shot at surviving any longer.

He grit his teeth as he pulled the bow free and worked the quiver of 23 arrows out, the last one tucked into his bag from earlier. He fell over and looked around. He was already seeing double... too many trees surrounding him.

Then he heard a familiar voice. Komaeda. Komaeda was yelling at him. Why was Komaeda yelling at him? "Naegi! Run!" he screamed. "Run! He's coming!"

Makoto blinked and scrambled backward, wobbling onto his feet and running the other way. He looked back once to see Togami yell something, probably a swear, and bring a large sword down on Komaeda. He didn't know how far he ran, but he fell into the little pond of water again. He heard more screams, maybe another cannon shot... he didn't know.

Was Komaeda dead? He didn't know. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He didn't want Komaeda to die. Komaeda didn't deserve to die.

The pond was still cold, but it felt different... like it had been filled with spiders. The imaginary spiders climbed all over him even as he tried to get out. Jesus, this stuff was potent.

He blinked a few times, spiders not disappearing. He hated this feeling, why was it like this? Those Tracker Jackers were so cruel.

No... no, it was President Monokuma who was cruel for ordering those to be engineered in the first place. What a vile man he was.

Were the stings bleeding? They didn't look pink. They looked a gross green color, probably pus. But they didn't feel wet to the touch. Makoto poked them, giggling from the sensation.

He didn't know when this happened, but he found himself on the edge of the pond, burned leg in the water, laying down as though he was going to take a nap. Are the Careers going to come and kill him now? Or maybe Komaeda was going to come and carry him in his arms! Oh God, this stuff was insane. He felt like he was high or drunk or something. Was this what Mukuro felt like when she drank?

The spiders weren't really helping. He still felt like they were enveloping his body in a creepy-crawly blanket. One of them looked at him, as though it had human emotions, and waved at him. Makoto smiled. "Hello little itty bitty spider..." he mumbled.

The spider joined the rest and Makoto nearly fell asleep. He kept repeating the sound of Komaeda's voice in his head... over and over and over again. It was soothing, and it distracted from the millions of spiders crawling into his eyes and mouth. A single thought forming into his mind before he blacked out.

 _Komaeda saved my life again_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Gonta
> 
> If anyone saw the pun I will personally congratulate you.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Chihiro formally get acquainted. They find out the Careers plan and decide to ruin it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so fucking scared for the Rue/Chihiro death scene. I am GOING to cry! ;-;

Makoto woke up with a start, sitting up and breathing heavily, trying to find his surroundings. He whipped his head around. He didn't remember falling asleep here, under a rock jutting out of the ground, sleeping on soft dirt.

He hissed in pain and stooped moving, looking down at his leg. It was a lot better but still burned slightly at the sudden movement. And his neck and hand hurt like sons of bitches.

He took out the little pot of medicine from his pack and applied a little more to his leg and dabbed some on the stings. It did nothing. Great. He laid back down. Well... what was he going to do now? He had no plan, no idea where Komaeda was... and no idea what the Careers were up to. Fan-fucking-tastic.

A soft rustling caught his attention and he sat up abruptly again. A petite girl came out of the trees, leaves in her hand, and a small bag around her waist. Makoto stared at her. Chihiro Fujisaki... was she here to kill him.

Chihiro stepped closer and Makoto scooted backward. "H-Hey... relax. I'm not going to hurt you... I want to help you." she let out.

Makoto blinked. "I... you really want to help me?" he asked.

Chihiro nodded. She knelt down next to him and started chewing on the leaves, then spitting them into her hand. "Hold still, it'll hurt for a second."

She spread the leaf mixture onto his stings and Makoto hissed but then relaxed. The stings started hurting a lot less and felt awfully refreshed for being so tired. Chihiro smiled. "These get the poison out," she explained.

"How did you know this?" Makoto asked.

Chihiro shrugged. "We sometimes would have Tracker Jacket nests in the trees and would just sting us occasionally, so we grew these for when that happened and were taught how to use them correctly."

Makoto nodded. "Right, District 11, Orchards, right?"

"Yep." she replied. "You did your research, didn't you?"

Makoto only shrugged. She continued to get the poison out of the wounds until they were the size of mosquito bites. Makoto smiled. "Thank you, so very much," he said.

"It's no problem, really," she replied, cheerful sounding as though they weren't in a killing game. "I mean... I should be nice if I want people to team up with me, right?"

Makoto blinked. "You... want to team up with me?" he asked.

Don't get him wrong, he was ecstatic, but he just didn't know what her motives were. Chihiro was an enigma at the moment, so he had to tread carefully around her.

She gave him a nod and stood up, offering a tiny hand to him to help him stand up as well. He took it and righted himself. "Thank you... but, why would you want to team up with me of all people?" he asked.

Chihiro pointed to his bow. "You can shoot. That's a good skill to have. And you're smart. I can tell you've gone hunting before. I think it would be good if we teamed up."

She wasn't wrong. Makoto could really use someone like her to team up with, maybe he could survive a little longer that way. "Okay, you've got yourself an ally," he said, sticking his hand out.

Chihiro excitedly shook it. "You won't regret it!"

**_______**

The first thing Makoto wanted to do was go hunting. That way he'd have practice with the bow before he actually had to use it against someone... if ever. He hoped he would have to do that.

Having a bow saved a lot of time from setting up snares, and maybe the shots weren't directly in the eye like he would prefer but it was better than nothing. He brought back one of those goose-like things, a fat one as well, and set a few snares for rabbits. When he came back he saw Chihiro, with a mix of berries and nuts, looking incredibly excited at the goose thing.

"It's called a groosling, and it's really really good. We only have it on holidays though," she explained as Makoto started a small fire and cooked it.

"Well, we're gonna eat like kings and queens today. Enjoy," he replied.

The food was probably some of the best Makoto has had since the Capital. Oh God, he wished he could go back. Chihiro seemed to be enjoying it as well. "I've never had a whole leg to myself before," she admitted sheepishly. 

Makoto smiled and handed her his own. "If you want you can have mine as well."

Chihiro gasped, then shook her head. "No, I could never."

"C'mon, go ahead."

Chihiro gingerly took the leg out of Makoto's hand and started eating it, face lighting up. She reminded him so much of Komaru.

There a pang at the bottom of his stomach. He missed her so much. He could only hope this alliance would get him closer to winning, but he also hoped he never would have to make the choice to kill Chihiro.

They ended up talking for the remainder of the afternoon. Makoto learned something slightly surprising about Chihiro.

"Wait, so you're transgender... which means you identify as a girl but were born with a dick?"

Chihiro nodded. "It's... not really that big of a deal. I just felt more comfortable in woman's clothing and she/her pronouns suit me better. It was a bit of a struggle to properly transition in my District but my family did everything they could. Luckily I was counted as the female Tribute for the games... kind of a win-lose situation here." she explained.

Makoto nodded. "No, that's fine. I really don't care what you want to identify as or what's in your pants. Whatever is fine. But... why would you trust me enough to tell me this?"

Chihiro shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I just want to build trust between us."

That made sense. But Makoto didn't really have any big secrets to share, so they mostly just talked about their families the rest of the day as they walked to an unknown destination. Makoto always felt a little homesick when he talked about Komaru. She was important to him, enough that he volunteered his own life for her. He wanted to prove to her that he could do this, and if that meant trusting Chihiro, then so be it.

Night fell and Chihiro found a good sleeping tree. Makoto climbed up and set up his little bed, then turned to his ally. "This might be kinda weird, and you don't have to... but we can both fit in the sleeping bag. It'll keep you warmer."

Chihiro blinked and fiddled with the hem of her clothing. "Isn't that a bit awkward? A boy and a girl in a sleeping bag together?"

Makoto smiled and shrugged. "I promise I won't try anything. I just don't want my ally to be cold all night."

That seemed to convince Chihiro. She wiggled into the sleeping bag with Makoto and he tied them down to the branches.

He actually slept better knowing there was another human there next to him. He felt safer that way, almost like how he felt when Komaru used to snuggle with him when he had a bad dream. Chihiro was kind of the same. She didn't snore and slept soundly until the sunrise.

They walked for a little longer before Makoto asked, "Hey, I was out for a little while. Did anyone die while I was gone?"

Chihiro nodded. "Both girls from District 3 and 4. Ten of us left now. You were out for about two days."

He almost sighed in relief. Komaeda wasn't dead yet. He didn't know why he was so worried, but he was. He could only hope he was fairing well. 

"Ah. Any idea what the Careers are up to?"

Chihiro stopped in her tracks. She looked up at the sky. "Yeah, they made their way back to the cornucopia and made it an HQ. They've taken all the supplies from it and are hoarding them. I haven't been able to get close."

Makoto chewed on his lip. If he could destroy their supplies, then the Careers would be cut off. They'd be helpless. He knew Togami was smart, so the cornucopia was probably laden with traps, however...

"Well, I think we're just going to have to change that," he said with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so I know the creators said Chihiro isn't Trans in canon, however, that's how he/she is in here, so um... yee.
> 
> Please don't fight about this with me I'm not in the mood.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chihiro and Makoto plan to take down the Careers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, have had kinda a rough day, a bunch of shit happened so I was wondering if everyone could comment a cute animal fact or a dad joke or something like that because it would really make me feel better and would probably brighten a couple other people's days as well.
> 
> You all are so awesome and I really hope you are enjoying the story so far because this is a lot of fun for me to write and put out there for everyone to see. :)

"Can I ask you something?"

Makoto looked up from the large pile of green wood he was carrying. "Yeah?"

Chihiro made a little humming sound. "You and your partner, the other Tribute that came with you... was that whole thing a lie?"

Makoto set the wood down and reached for what Chihiro was carrying. She handed it to him and he started setting it up in a little teepee formation. "Uh... do you mean when he confessed to me over the interviews?"

Chihiro nodded. Makoto sighed. "Um... that's to be determined."

He knew the cameras were watching and he didn't want to say anything that could lose him Sponsors, so he tried to play dumb. Chihiro smiled and walked in front of Makoto. She was only shorter than him by a few inches, she could stand on her tiptoes and be just as tall as him. "Really? I thought you two were actually together at the training center."

Makoto froze. His eyes widened a fraction. "Why... would you assume that? I didn't know Komaeda felt that way until the interviews?"

Chihiro shrugged. "I mean... you two were always together and you talked like you were a couple. It was really cute watching you interact."

"We're not..." he stopped talking. Right, keeping his mouth shut. "We haven't decided what our relationship is. And with this whole Hunger-Games-Fight-To-The-Death thing, I don't think we ever will."

Chihiro giggled. "I guess that's true."

They made it back to camp and sat down around the little fire they made yesterday. "Okay... do you need me to go over to plan again?" Makoto asked.

Chihiro nodded. "Just making sure I know everything."

Makoto tapped his fingers on his knee. "Right... we built three fires that would make a lot of smoke once you light them, which will draw the Careers over away from their supplies. While they're gone, I'll go over and destroy the supplies."

Chihiro furrowed her brow. "Wait, hold on... we need some kind of signal, to make sure the other is alright."

A signal? What could they use for a signal that wouldn't be conspicuous to anyone else? "What do you suggest we use as a signal?" Makoto asked.

Chihiro pointed up at the trees. Makoto looked up to see nothing but Mockingbirds within the leaves. "Them," she stated. "They'll transmit a tune throughout the forest. If we hear it, that means we've completed our end of the plan."

To prove her point, Chihiro sang out a small four-note tune. The Mockingbirds repeated it. Chihiro smiled. Makoto waited until they went quiet again before whistling a two-note tune for them to copy as well. They did. Chihiro applauded him. "Good job!" she said. "Those will be our signals then!"

Makoto smiled. "Alright, we begin at noon."

**_________**

Makoto made sure Chihiro had everything she needed before she left and a little extra. After intense hugging and promises to see each other when the Career's supplies were destroyed, they finally went their separate ways. 

The entire time he walked he carefully weighed his options as well as counted the other tributes here. Ten of them... and only one could leave. This game was going to start getting serious soon.

Chihiro had been right, they took all the supplies and piled them up into a pyramid a little ways away from the cornucopia... but the weirdest things were these holes surrounding the supplies.

He saw Togami and Toko, and a few others. Not the red-head... where did he go? Did he die?

Komaeda was not among them, which made Makoto feel sick to his stomach.

An addition to the group was a boy with chopped black hair and eyebrows that could cut a watermelon. They were talking amongst themselves until the brunette girl pointed at the sky. They saw the smoke.

Togami grabbed one of the swords and rushed everyone over, pointing at the black-haired kid. "You, stay here," he ordered.

Then the Careers headed off. The black-haired boy stood up like a soldier, protecting the stuff. Shit. What was Makoto supposed to do now?

He waited a bit to see if he would move, and when he didn't... Makoto saw something interesting.

The other side of the supply pyramid was Celestia, but as she reached a certain point she stopped. She started hopping around the holes, doing fancy footwork around them. Makoto watched her carefully. She got to the pyramid and took a few things, not enough to raise suspicion, and left the same way she came. The boy standing guard didn't notice a thing.

Makoto blinked. What... what had he just witnessed? He squinted. There was a reason she didn't just run to the supplies, but she hopped around like she was avoiding something... but what was she avoiding?

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The mines. The mines that were used to make sure the Tributes don't get an early start to the cornucopia. One of them had dug up and reactivated the mines.

That revelation was horrifying, but it also gave Makoto an idea.

He scanned the pyramid and found exactly what he was looking for. A bag was apples were hanging from a little hook on the pyramid. If those were to fall onto the mines then it would start off a chain reaction not only destroying the supplies but might kill the guard. Which... would be a fairly kind death considering everyone else might want to snap his neck instead.

He saw the smoke from the second fire in the sky. Two out of three, he had to make this fast.

Makoto allowed himself three arrows to make this. Not only because he had a limited supply, but also shooting arrow after arrow would look suspicious.

He carefully pulled back the string and aimed, hoping the guard didn't see the glint of either the arrow or the bow. He released it. The bag ripped, but nothing came out. Makoto took a deep breath, time to concentrate.

He took another arrow and pulled that one back as well. That one felt more sure against his fingertips. He took another deep breath and narrowed in on the spot before shooting the arrow.

This one ripped the bag enough so four apples fell out, bouncing over boxes and onto the ground.

For a split second, everything is frozen... Then Makoto is blown backward by an explosion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look at that, I've gone done eXpLoDeD.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The supplies are blown up, the Careers get pissed, and Makoto makes his way back to Chihiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever get those periods where you're super fucking depressed/disappointed/frustrated/stressed and you aren't exactly sure why but you are and just want to watch videos like the *insert fandom* as vines because they make you feel better but only a little bit?
> 
> I think there may be something wrong with me. XD

Makoto hit the ground with an 'oomph', recoiling from the impact. All he heard was intense ringing in his left ear. Everything was fuzzy. He tried sitting up on shaky hands looking around. He reached up and touched his ear gingerly, it comes back pink. The black-haired boy was still alive, and very much freaking out.

He succeeded, he blew up the Careers supplies.

Makoto smiled to himself before crawling back into the tree, pulling up his hood so he wouldn't leave a blood trail. 

To say he made it in the nick of time was an understatement. He was able to hide himself just as the Careers came running back. The black-haired boy was throwing stones at the ground, making sure all of the mines had been activated.

Togami walked up to him and started yelling. The other did nothing but stand there while Togami screamed at him, calling him useless and pathetic. Eventually, he turned away only to lung back with a swing of his sword, bashing the flat end of it into the boy's head, killing him instantly, Makoto heard the canon. The brunette gasped loudly and started to wail. Togami yelled at her to shut up before she met the same end. 

Makoto let out a sigh of relief. They didn't know it was him that destroyed their supplies, and now they weren't sure what to do. Perfect. Hopefully, they'd die of hunger (wouldn't that be ironic for the Hunger Games?) and Makoto wouldn't have to kill them himself.

Regardless, he figured he should get moving. He stood up on wobbly legs and tried to run as far away as possible. 

He didn't make it more than maybe a mile before falling into a ditch, just his luck. He decided might as well treat his wounds. His left ear had been completely deafened, which wasn't good for a hunter like him, and the ringing had been transferred to his right ear, but it was only faint at this point.

He poured a little of his water into the injured ear, hoping to wash away the smell of fresh meat that might attract unwanted predators, the smell of blood was bad enough. The blood clotted after a few minutes and Makoto felt it was safe to keep going. Eating food on the way he set out to find Chihiro.

Speaking of his little ally, he never saw the smoke from the last fire. The plan was to set off all three, and then the Careers would be far enough away if they didn't grow suspicious by that time. He suspected Togami might have stopped the group halfway to the third one, being the smart kind of man he was. They weren't there for the explosion, which was a blessing and a curse.

The sun started to set eventually. Throughout the day Makoto shot one of the groosling creatures and cooked it right before the sun went down, diminishing the fire before the smoke and light could be seen from even a few miles away.

He ate quickly along with some of the berries and roots Chihiro left with him. It was better than nothing and he felt full by the time he was done.

Makoto decided the best course of action would be to sleep for the night and find Chihiro in the morning. He didn't trust his still slightly shaky legs to climb a tree so he found a large bush that would conceal his presence enough for the night. He reached for his sleeping bag only to remember he left it with Chihiro.

He winced, suddenly feeling sympathy for the person who had lit the fire the first night. Now it was him that had to stick it out till morning. He covered himself in pine needles, better, but still pretty cold.

He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, just as he was about to the Anthem woke him up. He winced and looked into the sky. The boy who was killed today, named Kiyotaka Ishimaru, was projected onto the sky, picture looking like he was in the military.

He was the only one who died today. Makoto let out a sigh of relief. Chihiro... and Komaeda... were still alive. That was something to be grateful for.

Eventually, the heaviness in his eyelids got the better of him and he fell asleep, still freezing.

**_________**

Makoto woke with the sun, taking a quick peek around to make sure he was in the clear before shuffling out of his little bush. He checked his ear, better, but still unable to hear from it. That would suck for a bit.

First things first, breakfast. He had a little food left over so he ate that instead of going hunting. His water was at about half the bottle, he'd have to find a water source and fill that up soon.

He stood up, time to find Chihiro. She couldn't be that far away, and Makoto knew she was too smart to be captured by the Careers or cornered by some kind of predator, so she had to be close by.

After half a day of walking, he couldn't find her. He kept whistling his little two-note tune as he walked, the Mockingjays picking it up and sending it across the forest. He'd do this every few minutes, and he was certain the birds were getting tired of it.

Makoto knew he shouldn't be worried, he knew that Chihiro was probably fine, but he still had this terrible sinking feeling that she wasn't.

He sat down to take a break after a little while and drank most of his water, checking his ever-growing list of wounds.

That's when he heard it. A four-note tune echoing from the woods by the Mockingjays. He froze and listened for it again. His ears (well, _ear_ ) weren't deceiving him. Chihiro was okay, and she was nearby.

He beamed as he came to this conclusion, packing his stuff up and running the direction where the Mockingjays were the loudest, whistling his two-note tune in response.

Makoto ran for maybe twenty minutes, and then the tune just... stopped. The Mockingjays weren't singing the four notes anymore. He got confused, whistling again. No response.

Then a loud scream, a voice that he recognized.

Chihiro.

He booked it in the direction of the scream, completely freezing up when he saw her. Chihiro screamed again and reached out for him from within the net she was trapped in... 

Right before a spear was driven through her stomach.

It was Makoto's turn to scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit oh fuck oh no no no
> 
> I'm going to CRY next chapter ;~;


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chihiro is eliminated from the games, and there is a change to the rules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to wait to write this because I couldn't stop crying. Rue's death got me good and transferring it to Chihiro just made it worse. I apologize in advance for the heavy angst you are about to experience.

The boy who threw the spear died before he even recognized that Makoto was there. He immediately shot an arrow in his heart, killing him on impact, the canon shot ringing through the air.

"Are there more?! ARE THERE MORE?!" Makoto shouted at Chihiro when he released her from her net prison. 

The girl has to say no several times before he hears her.

She had curled up into a ball around the spear, breathing heavily, crying. Makoto felt hot tears streaming from his face as well. "Shit... fuck... Fujisaki... I'm sorry."

Chihiro smiled up at him. "It's... fine... Naegi..." her breathing was ragged and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. "It was... going to... happen... eventually."

"But I didn't want it to happen like this... I don't wanna let you go yet." Makoto said, holding her hand and burying his face into his elbow.

Chihiro reached up a shaky hand and gently patted Makoto on the cheek. "Hey... it's gonna... be okay... You have to... win for me..."

Makoto nodded furiously. "I will... I promise Fujisaki... I will." 

"Can... can you tell me a story... before I leave?"

"A story?"

"Something... sweet."

"Okay..."

To be perfectly honest, Makoto wasn't the best storyteller. His sister would sometimes ask him for one before she went to be dor after she had a nightmare, but he never expected to be telling one here.

"There was once this little girl who lived in a place that had trees tall enough to touch the clouds, and they produced the tastiest fruit for miles around. She lived with her big family and had so many good friends." 

Chihiro smiled wistfully as Makoto smoothed down her hair, trying not to choke all over his words. "One day she had to leave this beautiful place... she had to go somewhere with trees that only bore mediocre fruit and wild animals that wanted to eat her. But she found a way to survive... and she found a friend."

"Sounds... familiar..." Chihiro mumbled.

Makoto paused for half a second to compose himself. "And... she and her friend were stronger together... able to overcome anything... even defeat the evil monsters that wanted to kill them. They learned songs and stories and sang with the Mockingjays. But... then the girl got a chance to go back home... and she had to say goodbye to her friend. She didn't want to... but she knew she'd see him again one day, and a place much nicer than the place they had been forced into."

Chihiro stopped breathing, her heart going still.

Makoto was still crying, not wanting to let the little girl go. She had been his friend... and he just let her die like that. He was horrible, absolutely awful.

He carefully maneuvered her body, laying her down on the forest floor, closing her eyes and using her tiny hands to cover the wound over her stomach. He looked around and saw a bank of wildflowers. He went over and grabbed as many as he could carry, framing Chihiro with the blossoms. He knew that her body would be picked up by a hovercraft and the flowers would be shaken off of her, but still... he needed to show the Captial that she wasn't his enemy... she was his friend.

Right as he finished he knelt down and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then he grabbed the supplies that belonged to her and raided the man he had killed, the redhead from the night with the Tracker Jackers. Huh...

He walked away from the sight, and when he saw the hovercraft come to lift her body he pressed three fingers to his lips and raised them in the air, still letting tears fall from his eyes as he watched the little girl leave him for good.

**________**

Makoto cried himself to sleep. It was a restless night.

Chihiro's death had hit him hard, and he couldn't help but vaguely wonder if she and Komaru would've been friends in a different life.

The anthem had played, displaying her face and the face of the boy he had killed in revenge for her. Leon Kuwata. 

He woke up tired and eye blurry. No luck on his left ear, which was slightly annoying. Going hunting just didn't feel the same. He recognized this kind of grief, he felt it when his dad died. It wasn't a good feeling at all. He didn't even feel like eating but he knew he had to if he was going to survive.

It was high noon when the announcement came... the announcement that would change the games entirely.

" _Attention remaining tributes! I am pleased to announce that a new and entirely unique rule to this Danganronpa has been added! Instead of one, two tributes may survive the games if those two are from the same District! That is all! May the odds be ever in your favor!_ "

Makoto's heart stopped in his chest. Two could win the games... if the were from the same District.

He stood up warily. Something he had been worrying about since the Tracker Jacker incident... something he was terrified to even fathom... an idea form into his head.

Unconsiously, he called out Komaeda's name.

" _Nagito!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0_0


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we gettin into the real MEAT of the story.
> 
> Hehehehe... this should be interesting.

Makoto clamped a hand over his mouth. Too late, the sound already escaped his lips.

He didn't even know why he said it, Komaeda's first name at that. People didn't refer to each other like that unless they were family, really close friends, if a person specifies it particularly... or lovers.

Right, that was their charade. This might give him a chance to honor it. But he had to find Komaeda first.

That would end up being the easy part. Makoto packed his things and got ready for the hike. He found the stream and started following it, figuring Komaeda would need water sooner or later. He wasn't dead yet, so he was out there... somewhere. It was afternoon by the time he had to stop for food and water. Sitting down in the fresh water proved to provide a great amount of relief for him.

Makoto organized his backpack, brought out some food and started chewing absent-mindedly. How far away was Komaeda? Makoto didn't think he was with the Careers anymore, he didn't see him at the raid on their food supplies. But that didn't really mean anything.

The limited information Makot had was that Komaeda was alive and he was somewhere in the arena. Great.

He put everything away and stood up again, getting ready to leave.

He didn't get one step.

A hand burst out of the rocks he was walking on and grabbed his ankle. It took everything Makoto had not to scream and instead let out a sharp yelp. The hand patted his shoe and started clawing at it. Makoto got his bow out and aimed it at the rocks. Then it spoke.

"Naegi?"

Makoto blinked. He recognized that voice. "Komaeda!" he screeched, dropping the bow (a dangerous move done in the heat of the moment, he realized later) and clawing at the rocks.

Apparently Komaeda had created a little cove that he had hid his body in, but he was in bad shape. He was skinnier than when Makoto last saw him, cheeks more hallow and eyes darker, wrists skinnier.

Makoto dragged him out and set him against the water, legs in the water, inspecting the damage.

It didn't look good. Komaeda had a huge gash on his leg, still bleeding a bit, purple and black, and it was pussing a lot. Makoto wanted to puke. Komaeda sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it looks horrid."

Makoto shrugged off his discomfort. "It's fine, I'm just glad to see you again." he said with a smile.

Komaeda cocked his head. "You... really? You're happy to see someone like me, who sold you out to the Careers?" he asked, bewildered.

"But you also saved me from them," Makoto said, reaching down and feeling Komaeda's forehead. "Fuck... you've got a fever. We gotta get you to a safe place before anyone finds us."

"My luck has truly blessed me, looks like I'll survive a little longer." Komaeda said as Makoto picked up his bow.

"Shut up, we're getting through this together. Do you think you can walk?"

Komaeda shook his head. Makoto ran a hand through his hair. "Shit... okay, I'm gonna help you up and we'll get you to a place that will work, does that sound good, Nagito?"

He used the first names again. What was going on?

Komaeda nodded this time. Makoto shifted his belonging so he would be able to support Komaeda's weight. He practically carried him further down the stream, trying to find something that would work as a hiding spot for them. Komaeda was clearly in a lot of pain, and he wanted to see if there was any way he could treat his wounds to the best of his ability.

Thank God or Attua or whatever god was watching over them because pretty quickly they found a little cave that had vines and leaves covering the entrance. Makoto could adjust them and they'd be completely invisible. The sun would be going down soon, he had to hurry.

He set Komaeda down, sitting up for now against one of the walls of the mini-cave. He got out his little burn salve, hoping it would make a dent in the wound. Komaeda kissed as he started applying it. "Sorry, sorry!" Makoto said. "I promise it'll be better in a second... probably."

Komaeda let out a dry laugh. "It's fine... I've felt worse... I probably deserve it."

Makoto frowned, continuing the task at hand. "That's not a good thing." he mumbled.

Eventually, most of the wound was covered, it wasn't looking too much better but Makoto was able to get most of the pus out. He wondered what Komaru or even his mother would do in this situation. His mum worked with one of the most brilliant nurses in District 12, Mikan Tsumiki, and Komaru sometimes came with her to learn. He didn't know the first thing about medical stuff, so Komaru would probably be more calm and work better under these conditions.

"I don't think I'm gonna make it." Komaeda said with a smile. "This look pretty bad, I've lost a lot of blood already. I might not make it to the end."

"Don't say that." Makoto snapped at him. "We're getting through this together, and that's final."

"Naegi-"

Makoto squished his cheeks. "Stop talking." he ordered.

Silence. Makoto blinked. He remembered their ploy... star-crossed lovers. That would be even more endearing with the new set of rules.

He leaned over and gently pressed his lips against Komaeda's.

He didn't register anything other than how hot and chapped they were. Komaeda reached up and clutched his arms like he was his life force. Makoto broke apart to breath and realized Komaeda was panting heavily. "I... oh my god... what kind of horrors await me for me to be blessed enough to receive a kiss from Naegi?" he chuckled.

Makoto sighed, mirroring the smile. "Nothing, I'm hoping. And call me Makoto, please."

Komaeda smile grew wider. "Alright then. I was blessed enough today to be rescued and kissed by Makoto."

Just to prove a point Makoto kissed him again, this one lasting short than the other. Once again he was hit with the reality that Komaeda was probably severely dehydrated, and from personal experience, he didn't want to keep him waiting. "I'm gonna go get water, okay? Can you wait here for a few minutes?" he asked.

Komaeda nodded. Makoto stood up and walked out, grabbing the water bottle and the iodine. The sun was setting, and it another life maybe they could've enjoyed it. But not here.

Makoto knelt down to fill up the bottle nad noticed, high in the sky, a little parachute. The parachute got closer until it dropped right next to Makoto. He set down the bottle and reached over to open the box. First thing he saw was the note. _You call that a kiss?_ _\- Mukuro_.

Makoto giggled. He opened the metal box andlet out a small gasp. A hot bowl of what looked like really good and healthy soup and two servings of soft warm bread. He smiled and looked at nowhere in particular, only hoping he was staring at a camera. "Thank you," he said.

He filled the water all the way and brought it in along with the food. Komaeda raised an eyebrow when he walked in. "What's that?" he asked.

Makoto lifted the bowl up and smiled. "Mukuro gave us a gift."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smooches.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Komaeda are surviving, but Komaeda's wound is getting worse. A feast is announced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most domestic fluff and gruesome details. :D

Komaeda was surprisingly calm and took whatever Makoto gave him. Luckily he was able to eat without much help but he did say he felt sick. "I might throw up on myself... disgusting..." he mumbled the last part.

"If you feel like you need to then we can use the empty bowl from the soup. I can clean it out." Makoto said.

Komaeda smiled. "Thank you, Makoto. Your kindness is truly astounding." 

"Thanks." Makoto peeked out of the vines to see that it had gotten dark. "You should get some rest. Do you want the sleeping bag?"

Komaeda cocked his head. "Can we share it?"

Now, this wouldn't be an odd request in any other situation, Makoto had shared the bag with Chihiro which had seemed to be fine, but this felt different, more intimate, especially since the charade they had to keep up. He turned bright red and covered his face. "Um... yes. Theoretically, we could... but..."

"Makoto, please? The hotter it is the better chance I have of breaking my fever, right?"

That was a good point. Komaeda made a lot of good points. Makoto swallowed. "Uh... okay fine. But I'm not falling asleep. I need to keep watch to make sure no one comes in here."

"That's fine. Can you help me get in?"

First things first Makoto got out the roll of gauze from the medical kit and covered Komaeda's wound. The pressure mixed with the lack of elements going into it was probably going to be a good thing, it already looked infected enough as it was.

After a lot of maneuvering, they were able to get Komaeda into the sleeping bag with little repercussions. Makoto slipped in right after him. This was tighter than when it had been with Chihiro, Komaeda was bigger, so he took up more of the bag, not that Makoto really minded, it was better for warmth but...

"Do you think Mukuro expects us to have sex?" Komaeda asked randomly.

Makoto felt his entire face heat up. "What?!" he nearly shouted.

"Remember that one couple on the Hunger Games... it was like a decade ago... they had sex during the games, and the girl killed him halfway through. Do you think Mukuro wants us to doing something like that? Minus the killing probably."

"Uh..." Makoto did remember that. He remembered they censored it however it was still evident what they were doing. Makoto didn't understand at the time since he was five or six but he realized later and was, not going to lie, he was kind of impressed at the girl's ability to seduce someone to their deaths. However... "I'm not... I don't think we should... especially with your leg..."

Great, he was a bumbling mess now. He sounded like every other teenager with a crush and surely that wasn't a good look for him. Most of the Capital people were probably cooing at the situation though. He could _hear_ Komaru gagging.

Komaeda chuckled. "I was kidding, Makoto. Good night."

Komaeda kissed the top of Makoto's head before promptly falling asleep. Makoto sighed in relief. That was awkward.

After a few hours, he felt like he was going to drift off at any time. Somehow while he was sleeping Komaeda had wrapped his arms around Makoto and it felt really nice to have someone holding him like that. But he persevered and was able to stay awake at least until midnight. 

Komaeda woke up from restlessness and looked at Makoto frowning. "You need sleep too, I'll keep watch, you should get some shut-eye."

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked.

"Positive," Komaeda said with a smile.

"...Okay..."

So Makoto closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly.

**________**

He woke up with Komaeda softly humming and running his fingers through his hair. It was oddly comforting in a way. Makoto nuzzled closer into Komaeda's chest and exhaled. God, what he wouldn't give to stay like this... if the situation were drastically, drastically different.

"You're awake," Komaeda remarked. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Makoto looked up. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I don't feel like throwing up anymore which is a good sign."

Makoto reluctantly crawled out of the sleeping bag and shifted Komaeda back into the sitting position. He unzipped the bag and carefully unwrapped Komaeda's leg.

Bad news, it looked worse than yesterday. The pus was back, and a lot of it. The purple and black was spreading, and it was definitely infected. Makoto cursed silently. Komaeda frowned. "It's pretty bad... isn't it?" he asked.

Makoto shook his head, trying to stay optimistic. "It's fine. I'll take care of it."

"Makoto, tell me the truth."

"It's fine..."

Silence. Komaeda sighed. "Okay, I believe you."

First Makoto cleaned the wound and once again wrapped it. He knew this was stressful, not just on him, but Komaeda, but on him as well, so he needed to do what he always did... hunt.

"I'm going to go out for about an hour. I'll be back in a bit, can you wait for me?"

Komaeda nodded. Makoto almost didn't believe him. He leaned over to give him one lingering kiss before heading out. He came back after a little more than an hour with two rabbits and a squirrel.

"I'm gonna start a fire. Have you been drinking water?" Makoto asked as he pressed his forehead against Komaeda's checking for the fever. It was still there, fuck.

Komaeda closed his eyes. "Been trying." he replied.

"That's good. Try again before this finishes."

Komaeda nodded. Makoto finished up cooking one of the rabbits and cut it up, distributing them between the two. Komaeda was once again really good, eating as much as he could without much question. Makoto knew it wasn't Capital food, but at least it was something.

Of course, they both got startled when another announcement was made.

" _Attention remaining tributes! A feast will begin at sunrise tomorrow, each bag contains something you_ desperately _need! The feast will take place at the cornucopia, hope to see you there! Happy Danganronpa, and may the odds be ever in your favor!_ "

Makoto locked eyes with Komaeda, and before he could even say anything, Komaeda interrupted him. "No, you are not going to the feast."

Makoto started to protest. "Nagito, they have the medicine you need! We could heal you! Then we'd have an even better chance of winning!"

"I don't care. You've shown me enough kindness already, kindness I anything but deserve. I can't outstay my welcome. I don't want you to get hurt."

There's nothing Makoto could do to convince him. He got frustrated. "Do you want to die?" he asked.

Komaeda was silent, then he took a deep breath. "If it'll mean your survival in the games, I'll more that happily let myself die in this arena."

Makoto wanted to scream, he made a few angry sounds before huffing and grabbed his bow. "Fine! I'm going out again, I'll be back."

He couldn't slam the door, but he did rustle the leaves. He found a tree and slumped against it, tired and feeling drained. Could he sneak out? No, Komaeda would most likely try to follow him and get himself killed. He needed more time than that. How was he supposed to get the medicine that Komaeda needed.

Mukuro, his saving grace, must've sensed his delimia because another package presented itself to him after a few minutes.

At first, Makoto thought she sent him the medicine without having to go to the feast, but he opened the package and frowned. It was a small blue vial, no matter how potent this stuff might be, there's no way this could cure the infection in Komaeda's leg. He opened it and sniffed. Wait a minute...

He recognized the scent. It was this syrupy thing that nurses used to knock patients out while they worked on them, at least back in District 12. He blinked. Would this give him enough time to go to the feast if he fed it to Komaeda?

Makoto walked around for a bit, and found some blueberries nearby. He coated them in the syrup and added some mint leaves for good measure. He also made a separate batch for himself so he didn't look suspicious. Then he came back.

"Hey." he said awkwardly.

Komaeda looked up at him. "Hello." he replied.

Makoto knelt down besides him. "I thought about what you said, and you were right. I won't go to the feast."

Komaeda smiled. "Thank you, Makoto. I hope you realize I'm just looking out for you here."

Makoto nodded. "I know." then he pulled out the coated handful of berries. "By the way... look what I found."

Komaeda stared at them. "Would you like me to eat those?" he asked.

Makoto nodded. Komaeda took them gingerly and slowly let them fall into his mouth. Makoto munched on the other handful as he watched him. "What are these?" Komaeda asked. "They taste... really sweet."

"Wild blueberries and mint leaves. Why?"

"They taste kinda like... syrup..."

Komaeda's eyes shot open as he realized what was happening. Makoto sprung into action, shoving the rest of the coated berries into Komaeda's mouth and covering his mouth with his hand and plugging his nose, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. Komaeda tried to throw it up at one point but Makoto held firm. Komaeda's eyes fell closed and he slumped against Makoto. He was out cold.

"I'm so sorry..." Makoto said. "I promise I'll be careful, Nagito."

Makoto made sure Komaeda was comfortable before kissing him briefly and grabbing everything he needed to in order to head to the feast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I get a shot of that stuff so I can just sleep instead of dealing with all the bullshit going on in the world?


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto goes to the feast, drama ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is gonna make some people so fucking sad for a number of reasons.
> 
> Fuck you I was crying over Ishimondo earlier so you have to cry with me.

Makoto tried his best to cover-up the cave to the best of his ability. He didn't want anyone to jump on Komaeda while he was defenseless and sleeping. Makoto would be gone for a day, tops. He'd be back with the medicine and he'd save Komaeda, that was a promise.

Soon it would be nightfall, he needed to start walking. He shifted his backpack on his shoulders and began his trek.

His plan was to walk all night and make it to the feast by morning. There weren't that many of them left, so there wouldn't be that many bags. He counted off the remaining survivors in his head. Both from District 1, Togami and Toko. Both from 5, one from 11, Chihiro's other tribute, and the two of them from 12. Seven. He didn't even remember some of them dying.

He briefly wondered if Chihiro's friend, the male tribute that came with her, was as kind and gentle as she was. Probably not. He remembered he was pretty ruthless during the training center period. Mondo Owoda if he remembered correctly. Just thinking about him made Makoto shudder. He really was a big scary guy.

Makoto didn't get too tired throughout the journey, which was a good thing at least. The night made it difficult to walk around, but he managed to make it right before the sun rose.

He sat down in the bushes, bow and arrows at the ready, as the sun revealed the four bags. The ones for 1 and 11 were large, the one for five was medium-sized, and the one for 12, a small orange bag that Makoto could carry around his wrist.

He stared at the bags. No one made a move to grab anything. He knew they were waiting for the opportune moment when one person went into the feast and then they could kill them. Makoto didn't want to take anyone's life here, but he needed that bag, and he was going to risk his life for it.

A movement. Celestia came barreling out of the bushes, snatched her bag, and ran back into the wilderness. The entire thing lasted only a few seconds, blink and you'll miss it event. 

Now the District 5 bag was gone. Makoto didn't want to take anyone's bag but he wondered if Togami and Toko really needed theirs. He bit his lip and looked around. He had to get his quickly before someone snatched it away.

He crept out of the bushes, then darted to the cornucopia. He grabbed the bag and slipped it on his wrist, only for something to come whizzing by him, cutting his cheek.

A knife.

Makoto ran but was tackled by someone. They rolled around until the person was sitting on top of Makoto, holding a knife above his head and tongue rolling out like a madwoman. Toko Fukawa.

Toko had said in her interview that she had Disassociative Identity Disorder. One of her alters was a serial killer. She mentioned that the serial killer personality, named Genisidor Syo, would be out for the majority of the games.

Now Makoto was face to face with that very same Genisidor Syo. He was fucked.

"Awww, look at you! You're so cute! You'd look so lovely all cut up and bleeding out!" she laughed. "Where's your crazy boyfriend? I'd love to see him all bent out of shape!"

Makoto tried to buck her off but was unsuccessful, only resulting in the girl letting out a lewd sound. "Hey now, don't wanna be cheating on my fiance, and just because your cute doesn't mean you can try stuff like that."

He grit his teeth and tried again, but she stabbed the ground next to his head. "Stop that!" she screamed. "Else you wanna end up like your little ally!"

"How do you know about Fujisaki?!" he shouted.

Syo laughed. "That girl was a pain int he ass, and she wasn't even a real girl! But now that's she gone I can have a little fun with you!"

She took another one of her knives and lifted up Makoto's bangs, carving a line into his forehead. "Let's see... do you wanna go quickly, or slow and stea-"

She was knocked to the side. Makoto scrambled backward. Mondo was standing there, breathing heavily, holding a rock in his hand that was as big as Makoto's head. He hit Syo with it. "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT CHIHIRO?!" he shouted. "DID YOU KILL HER?!"

Toko must've switched back because she started stuttering. "N-No! I-It wasn't me! I sw-swear!"

Her head was bleeding pretty heavily. Mondo scowled and yelled, hitting her in the head again, killing her instantly. He turned back to look at Makoto, who was terrified. "Did you kill her?!" he asked, moving towards him.

Makoto put his hands out in defense. "No! No, I was her ally! Kuwata was the one who killed her! I killed him!"

Mondo stopped. "You killed Kuwata? Killed the one who killed Chihiro?" he asked.

Makoto nodded. "Yes! I shot him and he died instantly!"

"What did she say? Before she died?"

Makoto swallowed. "She... She asked me to tell her a story... I-I did... and I covered her with flowers..."

Mondo bit his lip, looking like he was holding back tears. "You... sent her off the way she would've wanted to go," he said quietly. Then his gaze hardened. "Did she tell you to win?"

Makoto nodded again. Mondo took a deep breath. "This one time, 12! For Chihiro!"

Makoto stood up and started running away, he briefly saw Mondo grab the remaining bags before dashing off into a nearby field of grass.

**________**

Makoto almost blacked out several times, but he didn't stop until he got back to the cave. He collapsed next to the sleeping Komaeda and opened the bag hurriedly. The inside contained a single string filled with clear liquid. It was a wonder it didn't break.

He reached over and took Komaeda's arm, pushing up his sleeve and injecting it into his arm. 

Then he actually collapsed, breathing heavily, wanting to sleep. His eyelids felt heavy and he felt them closing with each blink.

Mondo Owoda had saved his life. Correction, he spared his life. For that he was grateful. Makoto looked over at Komaeda, still fast asleep. He let out a breathy laugh. He was safe... they were gonna survive a little longer.

The last thing Makoto remembered before passing out was a little green moth sitting on his wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so short I hate it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and food with Komaegi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't know how long I've been wanting to write fluff since this started. The next installment (which will come out around a week after this finishes) will have so much more fluff/shippy stuff not just with these two but with others as well. 
> 
> While the Hunger Games is very angst oriented this is still Ao3 and I wanna have some fun with the characters. :3
> 
> There will not be sex in _this_ work.

"Makoto."

He groaned, curling into a little ball, he didn't want to get up. An unknown voice got more impatient. "Makoto!"

Makoto blinked himself awake and looked up through blurry eyes at Komaeda, who was smiling at him. "Good morning," he said, smiling.

His first instinct was to sit up and check Komaeda's wound, nearly fighting him for the right to take a look at it. He unwrapped the bandages and revealed a closed wound, still bruised black but the pus was all gone, and it wasn't bleeding with every movement anymore. Makoto nearly cried happy tears. He hugged Komaeda around the neck. "We did it! You're cured! You're gonna make it!"

Komaeda hugged him back. "What you did was reckless, stupid, and you shouldn't have done that for someone like me," he mumbled. "But... thank you anyways. I'm happy you cared enough about me to risk your life to make sure I survive even just a little longer. A pointless endeavor, but still."

Makoto leaned back to he could see Komaeda's face. He was crying. Makoto reached up and wiped his tears away, Komaeda kissed his hand. Makoto paused, staring at Komaeda. The white-haired boy stared right back, grey-green eyes shifting between his gaze and his mouth. "Makoto...?"

Makoto leaned forward and kissed Komaeda, grabbing his hand and intertwining their fingers. He didn't even do it for the cameras this time, he did it because he wanted to. He wanted to kiss Komaeda, wanted to tell him how much he really did care about him. "I think I'm in love with you." Komaeda breathed after they parted. He opened his eyes. "Is that disgusting? Having someone as vile as I say that?"

"No, of course not," Makoto replied. "I love you too."

"I don't deserve-"

"I'm gonna cut you off there," Makoto said, pressing his finger to Komaeda's lips. "You are beautiful, and you are going to make it out of here with me. Then we can eat all the food in the Capital and kiss every day."

Komaeda smiled. "I like that plan."

Makoto kissed him again. The domesticity of it all could distract from where they were, a killing game. He was serious when he said he wanted to kiss Komaeda every day, not even just for the publicity, but because he had fallen for him as well.

**________**

After two days Komaeda was able to stand up with help and even walk a few paces. That was nothing if not progress. Makoto went hunting nearly every day for food and supplies to keep them going. Sometime during that period, the boy from District 5 died, Celestia's other half. Makoto wondered if she was devastated, or maybe she was indifferent.

Komaeda and he acted like a married couple unironically, sleeping together and teasing each other earnestly. They kissed and Makoto heard the people cooing in the Captial as they acted like the ending couples from those cheesy romcoms. Komaru was undoubtedly going to tease him to death about this when they got back.

 _When_... the fact that he could say in confidence that they could make it out alive was reassuring, and terrifying. They still had to fight through Mondo, Togami, and Celestia.

"Do you think Togami will kill them for us, and then die of starvation or of some kind of arena trap?" Komaeda asked one day.

Makoto shrugged. "He's not an idiot, but I'm hoping I don't have to fight Mondo. He spared my life, and I don't want to kill Chihiro's friend. I don't think I'd be able to do it."

Komaeda drew his mouth into a thin line. "You're kindness truly knows no boundaries, but you must draw a line somewhere, Makoto."

Makoto's shoulders sagged and he sighed. "I know..."

Another two days and Komaeda could walk around with a slight limp. Makoto still made sure he was eating and drinking properly and was getting enough rest. They mostly stayed in and talked to each other, though.

One day Makoto asks, "Komaeda... can you tell me the truth this time... during the interviews... how much of that was true?"

Makoto's head was lolled on Komaeda's shoulder, and the other was playing with his hair. Komaeda looked down at him. "Let's see... um... I like the beds and the food better here, I'm gay... and I've been in love with you since forever."

"Wait, that wasn't a lie?" Makoto sat up, staring Komaeda in the face.

Komaeda shook his head. "Junko made it up at the time for the interviews to try and get your Sponsors, but I didn't tell her she was actually correct. Ever since I met you I was infatuated with you." Komaeda's hands came up to hold his face. "You shone so brightly, your hope radiating off everything you touched, even the ground you walked on. I wanted it all to myself, but I didn't want to scare you off, so I kept my distance. Then we were announced to be partners during the Hunger Games and I thought I could have you... that you're precious hope could be all mine finally... and I did... I got it."

Makoto blinked. Where was all this coming from? "You... think I'm hopeful?"

"More like you're full of hope. Forgive me for being so greedy, but I wanted you to dedicate yourself to me, if you wanna call it love then that is what we'll call it. But now I see... you're only human like the rest of us. And you want me as much as I want you."

His eyes held something psychotic, but Makoto didn't see it as a threat, more of an invitation. "You were right about that. I do want you. I love you so much and I can't bear to let you go. So you can't die on me, okay?"

Komaeda nodded furiously. "If that's what you want then I'll do it! I'll do anything for you, Makoto!"

Makoto gently grabbed his hands and placed his into them, lacing their fingers together. "Calm down, Romeo. Right now I just want you to be here with me and get better."

"Okay..." Komaeda sighed blissfully. Makoto moved so he was practically sitting in Komaeda's lap and kissed him, slow and sweet.

If this is love Makoto never wanted to let it go.

They were interrupted by a loud _CLUNK_ right outside their door. Makoto cocked his head in that direction then crawled over to find a large metal box. There was no note on this one this time so he dragged it in to reveal a full-course meal, hot and ready for them. Komaeda gasped when it saw it. "Mukuro is so generous to us!" he exclaimed, smiling happily. 

Makoto smiled as well. "I'm glad we at least have more food. This is bound to give us a good amount of nutrition and strength. Eat up, darling."

Komaeda's smile only widened. "Okie dokie... sweetheart."

Makoto flushed red and looked away. "It's cute when I do it, it's embarrassing when you do it." he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, baby. Can I kiss you for forgiveness?" Komaeda asked, pouting a little bit and outstretching his arms.

Makoto sighed and crawled over to kiss him. "Fine, I forgive you." he said, smiling again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makoto is kinda dense.
> 
> This part of the story isn't very centered around Komaeda's 'obsession' with hope, but I will go a bit more into that soon.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Komaeda heals for good and Celestia gone done dies. :p

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M NOT DONE WITH THE LAST CHAPTER AND I HAVE ZERO INSPIRATION :0

"When we get back home I am never going to complain about food again," Komaeda said, practically scarfing down his food.

Makoto smiled. Komaeda was able to eat a full meal now without feeling sick, that was progress at it's finest. "You said when," he noted.

Komaeda blinked, then smiled. "I guess I did... we're so close, Makoto. Maybe we can win this."

"We can and we will, I believe in us," Makoto said, reaching over and grasping Komaeda's hand tightly. "And the power of love!" he said jokingly.

Komaeda chuckled. "And the power of hope," he added.

"That too."

After another day or so Komaeda could walk small distances without tripping over his own feet every ten seconds or yelling out from the pain. He was henceforth in charge of getting water and watching over the cave. Makoto never allowed him to go very far, afraid he would get jumped with he was still in the process of healing.

"Can I come hunting with you someday?" Komaeda asked out of the blue one night.

Makoto shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

Komaeda curled further into a little ball. "Because I don't like the idea of you being alone. I trust you to take care of and defend yourself, but when you leave me I feel really lonely. I want to hunt with you like Kirigiri does."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. He hadn't thought about Kirigiri in a while. How was she doing? Probably fine. She was smart and resilient. She could take care of herself just fine without him for now.

"I mean... you might be able to help me gather berries and fruit while I do the hunting?" Makoto offered. "But I still want you to be resting for now. You aren't 100% healed yet."

Komaeda frowned. "I don't want to keep being helpless, I want to offer something to you in return for everything you've done for me."

Makoto smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "You don't have to do anything. I'm happy doing all of this by myself. If you really want to help we can try and work something out tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Komaeda bit his lip and shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

Makoto reached up and gently rubbed his thumb across Komaeda's cheek, feeling his fluffy hair brush against his fingertips. Komaeda leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. "You're so beautiful..." Makoto mumbled.

He kissed Komaeda before he could refute it.

**_________**

Makoto finally let Komaeda come with him on a hunting trip.

He barely let him out of his sight, sticking by his side most of the day as they walked around, clutching his hand tightly in case he fell. It was very efficient for hunting, but Makoto was pointing out different berries and plants that were good to eat and some that were very dangerous. Komaeda promised him not to eat anything unless Makoto cleared it first.

"Makoto," Komaeda said after maybe an hour. "You don't have to baby me, I can go off on my own."

Makoto bit his lip. "I'm just scared. I don't want to lose you when I could've prevented it."

Silence. Makoto sighed. "How about this. There are Mockingjays in the trees above." he pointed up to some of their nests. "Every couple of minutes you can whistle or sing to them a short tune and it'll echo back to me. I'll do the same."

To prove the point, Makoto whistled Chihiro's four-note tune and the Mockingjays repeated it. Komaeda smiled at the music it made. "Fascinating creatures, they truly are spectacular," he mumbled.

Then he whistled a little three-note melody, Mockingjays taking it and combining it with the other one, singing across the forest. Makoto smiled as well. "Okay then. Don't eat anything until I check, alright? I'll be back in a little bit."

He stood on his tiptoes to kiss Komaeda before he headed off into the forest to find some animals.

Another hour passed, every couple of minutes Makoto would hear Komaeda's little tune and he'd whistle back. He shot a rabbit and two more squirrels and caught another one of those groosling creatures in a snare. That was good, they'd have a decent amount of food at least for now.

He started headed back to the place where Komaeda and he had separated. He whistled out and the Mockingbirds carried it. Five minutes passed and no response. Makoto stopped in his tracks and tried again. Still no response. He started getting worried.

It was dead silent. Then a cannon shot rang through the woods, ringing in Makoto's good ear and making his anxiety jump, blood pressure shooting through the roof.

"NAGITO!" he yelled, breaking into a sprint.

He was running blindly, he knew that, but eventually he saw a tuft of white hair and he nearly tackled Komaeda to the ground, making them both fall over. Komaeda blinked and seemed very confused as Makoto checked him all over to make sure he was okay. "Oh my God... oh my God you gave me a heart attack..." Makoto heaved, placing a hand on his heart to try and calm down.

Komaeda gently caressed his cheek and smiled. "I'm okay, I'm okay," he said. "Did a cannon go off?"

Makoto nodded. Komaeda chewed the inside of his cheek. "I didn't hear it. I was near a river and the running water was loud, but I found these."

He held out his hand to reveal small black berries. Makoto blinked at them. "Nagito, those are Nightlock. They're deadly poison, you'd be dead before they hit your stomach."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Makoto grabbed the berries and slipped them into his pocket. "Can you show me where you found them?"

Komaeda took him to a nearby river, bigger than the stream where their little cave was next to. He showed him the Nightlock bush. Makoto stared at it, then pushed it aside to reveal a dead body.

"Celestia," he noted.

Komaeda was mortified. "Oh my God..." he muttered. "She's dead... does that mean Togami or Mondo are nearby?"

Makoto shook his head. "If anything it's your kill, she saw you picking the berries and thought they were safe, poor girl didn't know any better."

Komaeda rubbed his arms furiously. "That's awful... I feel so bad..."

"It's not your fault."

Four of them were left. Togami, Mondo, and them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip Celestia, your single slip-up killed you :p


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The water all around them dries up, looks like their going to have to face Togami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the home stretch, folks. Stay with me here we're almost done.

A scream and a canon shot jolted Makoto awake. He's breathing heavily, scared out of his mind from what he just heard. It takes several minutes if Komaeda holding him tightly and whispering to him until his heart goes back to normal.

"That was Mondo, I could tell from the voice..." he mumbled.

"I know, I know," Komaeda said, smoothing down Makoto's hair gently. "It's okay, we're okay. No one's gonna find us here, I promise."

"You can't guarantee that Nagito," Makoto said, close to tears. "What if Togami killed him?"

"He wouldn't have gone down without a fight, and from the sound of it, he was up against someone he didn't expect, someone more powerful than him. Probably an arena event."

Makoto felt his breathing go steady, heart rate slowing. He closed his eyes, pressed against Komaeda's chest. "Okay... okay I'm fine now. You can go back to sleep."

Komaeda shook his head. "I'm not falling asleep until you fall asleep. I wanna make sure you aren't stressed out. I'll be right here. You don't have to worry."

"But-"

"No buts."

Makoto drew his mouth into a thin line but obeyed, snuggling back into the sleeping bag and turning around, Komaeda spooning him from behind, arms wrapped around his midsection. It was really comforting, knowing that someone was right next to him while he slept. Maybe that's why Komaru always came to him when she had nightmares.

He actually fell asleep fairly quickly. He dreamed of nothing, just black inky darkness. He was scared, to say the very least. Mondo Owoda had just been killed. That was Chihiro's friend, at least they probably knew each other. Mondo had saved his life, and he never got the chance to repay him.

When he woke up he felt the sun peeking through the vines and it was colder than it should've been. Then he realized that Komaeda was not in the sleeping bag with him. Before he even had time to register that he needed to panic, Komaeda walked back in. "Good morning, sunshine," he said with a smile.

Makoto sat up. "Where did you go?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"To the stream to get more water." then he frowned. "There's not a lot left, I think the game makers are trying to dry us out."

Makoto blinked. "Shit... really?"

Komaeda nodded. "They're probably trying to get us to go somewhere, God knows where though."

If the game makers were trying to get them to a source of water, then that meant they have become bored. They want action, they want a victor. "They're probably trying to get us to head to the lake near the cornucopia. Togami is probably staked out there. They want us to fight."

Komaeda clenched his fists. "We're actually the only one's left..." he breathed. "I never imagined I'd make it this far."

Makoto reached over and grabbed Komaeda by the collar, pulling him in to kiss him. "We're gonna make it," he said when he broke it. "I know we can do this."

Komaeda smiled, reaching over to kiss Makoto again. "I believe you."

"We can stay here for now, at least until the water runs out. Does that sound okay?"

"That sounds perfect."

Makoto knew Komaeda was just agreeing with him so he could get more kisses, so he pulled him on top of him and proceeded to kiss the ever-loving life out of him.

**________**

The next day the water dried up completely. Not a damp spot in sight. That was annoying.

"We're gonna have to leave today if that's the case. If I can catch Togami off guard then I could kill him kindly," he said, throwing his bow over his shoulder.

"Right through the eye like your animals, right?" Komaeda said, making a little 'o' with his fingers and sticking another finger in that hole.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Please never use that gesture ever again." 

Komaeda smiled but said nothing. They walked for a bit towards the cornucopia, taking breaks occasionally to eat and drink. It was nearly sundown when they saw the tip of the metal landmark. Makoto pointed to it. "The lake is that way," he said, moving his hand a little down and to the right. "Do you think Togami is going to be waiting there for us?"

Komaeda shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm hoping that we don't have to have the epic battle I'm sure everyone else wants us to have."

"You and me both," Makoto muttered.

They kept heading in the direction of the lake, not really talking much to each other along the way. They arrived around ten minutes later. Makoto crouched in the bushes and looked around. "Togami isn't even here?" he noted.

Komaeda's eyes darted around. "Should we wait for him to get here then?"

Makoto shrugged. Something didn't feel right, something felt off. If Togami was supposed to be here then where was he?

He got his answer within a matter of minutes.

Togami came barrelling out of the woods, face purple from lack of breathing, running harder than he's probably ever had to before. But what bothered Makoto was that he didn't seem to be running towards them.

 _He was running away from something_.

Togami bolted towards the cornucopia and that's when Makoto heard it. Howling.

Then the beasts leaped out of the trees, running after Togami. Makoto didn't even know what kind of creatures they were. They looked like wolves, but they were too big to be wolves, and their eyes... they looked like human eyes. Their teeth could easily rip a human in half.

Some of them stopped to sniff the air, then they turned to look directly at where Makoto and Komaeda were hiding in the bushes.

They had sensed them.

_SHIT!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :0


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final battle, only one can remain. May the odds be ever in your favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess what... we're almost done here.
> 
> Two more chapters and then it's curtain call for at least a week.

Mutations, that's what they were. And they knew they were there.

Makoto grabbed Komaeda by the wrist and started pulling him towards the cornucopia, running fro their lives as the beasts chased them. Togami was right in front of them, jumping up onto the cornucopia and climbing. Komaeda and Makoto did the same. Togami tried to knock them off but Komaeda took out the knife Makoto gave him and stabbed his ankle. Togami cried out.

The three were at a face-off, staring at each other, scowling. The beasts tried to climb up to get them but were unsuccessful, just barking at them. Komaeda shifted his gaze to them. "Makoto..." he said. "Their eyes."

"Don't take your eyes off the enemy," Makoto said through gritted teeth.

"Makoto!" Komaeda said, almost shouting at this point. "It's them! It's the eyes of the dead ones!"

Makoto flicked his eyes to the side. Maybe that's why he thought their eyes had been strange when he first saw them. Maybe they were really the eyes of those that were dead. Some of them even had fur the same color as some of their hair. But that's impossible, they couldn't have done something like that. That was just too cruel.

Togami spat. "It's just you two left. Two against one isn't a very fair fight," he said.

Makoto noticed his glasses were broken, cracked on the left lens. It must be difficult to see with that. Makoto's grip tightened on his bow. "Shut it. You didn't care enough about Fukawa to save her when Mondo went after her, so why do you get to judge us for sticking together?"

Togami narrowed his eyes. "Your star-crossed lovers routine is idiotic, even I can tell it's fake from a mile away. You two don't love each other, you never did."

Komaeda started grinding his teeth. "You couldn't be more wrong," he said, clearly pissed. "You don't know us, you have no right to assume anything about us!"

Togami pushed up his glasses. "Regardless, you're both going to die tonight."

"You have the disadvantage here, Togami," Makoto said, trying to keep his voice steady, drawing an arrow and aiming it at Togami's chest. "There's nothing you can do that will ensure your victory!"

"That's where you're wrong."

Togami pounced. Makoto couldn't get a clear shot. Togami grabbed Komaeda by the wrists and pulled him into him, putting him into a chokehold, which was mildly impressive given Komaeda was a good few inches taller than him.

Komaeda scratched at Togami's arms, trying to breathe. Togami stood close to the edge. Makoto blinked. He knew what he was doing. Makoto kills Togami, Komaeda falls with him to his death. He hesitates, and Komaeda dies, leaving him alone.

"Go ahead, shoot." Togami taunted. "I'm dead anyway. These games have proven to me that I can't just rely on my brain... nor can I just disregard others as weak. I'd like to leave this filthy world."

Makoto blinked. Togami continued to shout at him. "SEND ME TO HELL YOU SON OF BITCH! BUT I'M TAKING YOUR BOYFRIEND WITH ME!"

Komaeda stabbed his hand with the knife. Togami screamed and let go of him, scrambling back and falling into the beasts, who started tearing him limb from limb. Makoto shakily held his bow. Komaeda sat down, breathing heavily. "Why don't they kill him?" he asked.

Makoto squeezed his eyes shut. "You know why..." he muttered.

He opened his eyes and released the arrow, killing Togami. A cannon rang through the night. The beasts stopped and looked at the horizon. The howled once more and started running back into the woods.

Komaeda and Makoto sat there in silence for a spell, then looked at each other. Makoto broke into a wide smile. "We won..." he whispered. "We won the Hunger Games!"

**_______**

Makoto grabbed Komaeda's hand and they slid down the cornucopia, landing on the soft grass. The sun started rising, which seemed almost impossible, except time was probably being altered by the game makers.

But the weirdest thing was... no victory trumpets were going off. They were being carried off in a hovercraft back to Capital, nothing was happening. They won, didn't they?

"Makoto?" Komaeda asked.

"I know... something's wrong," Makoto said, narrowing his eyes.

The anthem rang and an announcement was made. " _Good morning, tributes. The previous change to the rules has now been redacted. Only one can be the victor. Good luck to the both of you, and may the odds be ever in your favor._ "

Makoto was livid. They wanted to drop the bomb on them just like that?! They wanted them to fight?! After everything?! He turned to Komaeda, who looked terrified. Komaeda took a step back. "They... they want us to fight..." he said, crooked smile melting onto his face. "How terrible..."

He started laughing. "How dare they?! How could they possibly think I'd fight my beloved?! I'd never let myself stoop so low to murder my precious hope! I would never do such a thing!"

"Nagito!" Makoto shouted.

Komaeda gave him a look, and Makoto knew he was too far gone to properly hear him. Komaeda took out his knife, still stained with Togami's blood, and pressed it to his own neck. "I'd rather kill myself!"

He laughed again. Makoto rushed forwards, grabbing the knife and chucking it as far as he could. "No! I'm not going to let you do that!"

"You're right, it'd be more entertaining, not to mention how fulfilling it'd be, to have you kill me!"

"I'm not going to kill you!"

"But they need a victor, Makoto! You have to be the one!"

"If they can't have us both then there won't be a victor!"

Silence. Komaeda looked at him questionably. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Makoto was breathing heavily. He gulped. "Nagito... The Captial has controlled us for so long, forcing teenagers to kill each other... I hate it so much."

He reached into his backpack. "That's why..." he pulled out the Nightlock from earlier. "If they can't take both of us, then there will be no victor for the 74th Hunger Games."

Komaeda stared at his hand. "Certainly... you must be joking?"

Makoto shook his head. "There's no way I'm losing you. Not after everything. I promised you that when we got home we'd kiss every day and eat the best food of our lives once again. If they won't grant us that, then we'll go to a place where we can."

He was shaking, he was scared, of course, he was. He could hear Komaru shouting at him not to do it, anything but that. But he had to do this, he had to show them the Capital didn't own him.

Komaeda reached out and took half of the small amount of berries. "We're going to die..." Komaeda mumbled.

"I know..." Makoto breathed.

Komaeda looked up, then leaned down to kiss Makoto. "One last time," he whispered. "I love you."

Makoto wanted to cry. "I love you too," he replied. "On the count of three."

Komaeda nodded. Makoto took a deep breath, at a kind of peacefulness you can only get when you know you're about to die. "One..." he started, voice wavering.

What would Kirigiri think? She'd think he was stupid, that's for sure. She'd think he would've died for nothing. She'd scold him even in the afterlife. But he knew she'd miss him. He only wished he could say goodbye one more time.

"Two..."

Komaru was probably bawling her eyes out, screaming at Makoto. He told her he'd win for her, but in his eyes, this was winning. This was winning against the Capital. Maybe she'd understand that one day.

"Three."

And then there was Komaeda. Makoto could barely imagine life without him. Part of the reason that he was doing this was because he didn't think he could live with the guilt if Komaeda died by his own hands.

Both of them put the berries in their mouths, and they nearly made it down their throats when the announcer shouted at them.

" _WAIT WAIT WAIT!_ " he screamed. " _Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the victors of the 74th Danganronpa! Makoto Naegi and Nagito Komaeda! The Tributes from District 12!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK YEAH! THEY WON!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the Hunger Games, and the start of a revolution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of the chapter... Monokuma is an ass and a psychopath.

Makoto spat out the berries, and before he could even think he punched Komaeda in the stomach, making him hurl the berries instead of unconsciously swallowing them. Makoto grabbed him and hugged him. Komaeda didn't let go.

They won... they actually won.

Makoto looked up at the hovercraft that was ready to pick them up. It lowered down a claw and grabbed them. Makoto held tightly to Komaeda's hand the entire time. But once they got up doctors and nurses swarmed them, nearly forcing them apart. Komaeda screamed out. "No, wait, stop! Don't take him away from me!" he said.

They inserted something in Komaeda's arm and he slumped down, fast asleep. Makoto cried out but he felt a needle pinched his skin and he felt his eyelids get heavier until he drifted off.

He didn't dream of very much. He saw people sitting in a field. Komaru and Chihiro were talking to each other, Chihiro was braiding Kirigiri's hair, leaning against Mondo. Toko was asleep on Togami's shoulder, the other gently rubbing her shoulder, smiling softly. Sayaka was talking excitedly to Leon, Asahina was picking flowers and giving them to a tribute Makoto never came into contact with. Sakura Oogami he thinks her name was. Celestia was sitting with a cup of tea and a blissful smile on her face.

All of the fallen tributes, plus Komaru and Kirigiri, were here. Was he dead?

"You're not dead, Makoto." someone besides him said.

Komeada grabbed his hand. He smiled softly at him. "You're very much alive, but you're imagining an ideal world, where we're all together. Do you miss them?" Komaeda asked.

Makoto nodded. "Even though I was pitted against them, they were still just children. They didn't deserve that."

The Hunger Games was a cruel way of entertainment, pitting teenagers against each other, and in memorial of a war. It was wrong in so many ways, why didn't people see that?

"Would you like to see them again... one last time?" Komaeda asked.

Makoto nodded. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He opened his eyes to blurry vision. It quickly focused to reveal he was looking at a ceiling. He looked around. He was in a hospital bed, various tubes sticking into his arm. He sat up and blinked. He had just survived the Hunger Games... and now he was here.

He saw a clipboard on the stand next to his bed. He picked it up and inspected it.

_Patient Makoto Naegi._

_Wounds:_

_Damage in the left ear. Status: Healed_

_A few healing burns. Status: Healed_

_Other various cuts and bruises. Status: Healed_

Makoto blinked. So he was all better? He felt weird like they had done a complete reassignment of his entire body. He felt cleaner, more refreshed.

Wait... Komaeda!

Makoto ripped out his tubes and yanked back the curtain. Komaeda was laying against his pillows, staring at his clipboard. His eyes shifted up to Makoto, he seemed to be in a stage of shock. Makoto stared at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Komaeda slowly nodded. "I'm... better than okay. Take a look."

He handed Makoto the clipboard.

_Patient Nagito Komaeda._

_Wounds:_

_Healing infection in the right leg. Status: Healed_

_Frontal lobe dementia. Status: Healed_

_First stage cancer in the abdomen and areas around. Status: Healed_

Makoto didn't bother reading the rest. His hands shook as he held it, tears falling down and staining the paper. "You're all better? They actually healed you?" he choked out.

Komaeda nodded, also crying happy tears. "I'm gonna live... I'm gonna live to be a hundred, just like you said."

**___**

"What you did was incredibly brave but also incredibly stupid." Mukuro scolded them.

Makoto didn't care. He was just happy to see her again. Mukuro sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "The President hasn't said anything about this, but he did say that he would want to speak with you before the final interviews with Monomi. He said he wanted to show you something. So you'll be doing that right before you go to get your outfits on, you got that? He'll send some Avox to retrieve you at that time." she explained.

Makoto blinked. The President wanted to talk to them? That sounded... a bit strange. Komaeda snorted. "Why should we have to speak with that son of a bitch? He's the one who sent us off to our deaths."

Mukuro looked like she wanted to whack him. "Listen, cupcake, Monokuma is the dictator of a dying country, we need him to keep us alive. That is unless you could find a better Supreme Leader to take over his job. For now... just do what he says, kid."

While neither of them really liked the idea of it, they listened to her, waiting patiently until the Avox came to bring them to what seemed like an execution. While they waited, they talked.

"What are we gonna tell them at the interviews?" Komaeda asked. "You did what you did because you knew it wasn't fair that all of those people died like that. I know you hate the Capital, but everyone thinks you did it for love."

Makoto bit his lip. "And that's what we have to tell them. We have to lie if we want to make any kind of difference. I already know the people in the Districts don't believe that everything I did was for love, especially Kirigiri and everyone else back home. We have to fake it till we make it. Tell them we couldn't bear the thought of living without each other. The people of the Capital will believe that and keep us out of trouble until this spark turns into a flame."

Komaeda nodded in understanding. "I can do that," he said.

The Avox came in. Makoto and Komaeda stood up and let them lead them down what felt like a million hallways and into the President's private office.

President Monokuma was a small man, smaller than Makoto even. His hair was split down the middle, half white and half black. His eyes had brilliant heterochromia, one red, one black. His smile was sinister and his skin was a milky white. "Welcome, Victors," he said, quickly dismissing the Avox.

Makoto said nothing. Komaeda simply crossed his arms. Monokuma set his head in his palm. "You two are certainly something. Don't think I didn't see that spark going off when you brought out those berries. All that talk about love really won't fool me, you know."

Makoto bit the inside of his cheek. Monokuma stood up. "Follow me, I want to show you something."

They followed him to the side of the office to a door. Monokuma unlocked the many locks keeping it shut and swung the door open, revealing a long hallway. They walked down and Makoto paid special attention to the doors. They were all numbered, even on the right, odds on the left. They kept walking down and the numbers kept getting higher. He wanted to ask where they were going, but it didn't see it as appropriate at the moment.

Finally, they reached the door. _74_. Monokuma opened it and revealed a dark room with glass tubes illuminating them. Makoto almost threw up.

The bodies of the fallen tributes, they were all stored here. Every last one of them. Leon, Asahina, Kiyotaka, Celestia, _Chihiro_. They were all here.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" Komaeda asked, clearly pissed.

Monokuma giggled, walking into the room. "Every single year, I've collected the bodies. And guess what? They're all alive! But just barely! If I were to input the code on one of the tubes, they'd come tumbling out. Almost like a zombie!"

"Why did you do this?!" Makoto shouted. "Why would you do something so awful?!"

"Because then I can use them later. They don't age, and sometimes the doctors need human specimens here. I've only let out a few of the ones from the earliest Hunger Games. But I've been waiting for a day like this. A day when someone like you think they're above the Capital. Who think they're above _me_."

Makoto froze. Monokuma laughed. "Here's another thing. I could let you have the choice of letting one of them out, letting them live with you in District 12. But isn't making that choice just impossible?!"

He's right. That would be impossible. Chihiro could be the obvious choice, but then Makoto owed Mondo his life. He wanted to let all of them out, bring them with him. Why couldn't he?!

Komaeda coughed. "President, while I have no earthly understanding of why you'd show us something like this, I do understand one thing. You want to bring us despair. Am I wrong?"

"You're correct," Monokuma said.

Silence. Komaeda bowed once. "Thank you. We'll be taking our leave now."

He turned around and grabbed Makoto by the wrist, leading him out of the room. "C'mon," he whispered. " _Fake it till we can make it_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHA YOU THOUGHT! THEY'RE ALIVE BITCHES! >:D


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of Book 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are going to be 2 parts... most likely.

"You know what to say?" Mukuro asked and Tsumugi attacked him with powder.

Makoto nodded. "We know what to do. We'll be fine," he promised.

There was always a point after the games where the Victors would go up and talk about the games, watching a relapse of some of the greatest moments. Some of them cheered when they saw their kills, others just sat there in shock. More than a few started sobbing at one point in time.

Komaeda and Makoto were dressed a lot less formally than they had been in the past. Both wearing tuxedos with Makoto's flaring out just a bit more. Tsumugi had fitted Komaeda with a collar that was soft enough so it wouldn't be uncomfortable but was still able to make Komaeda slink into a state where they knew he wasn't going to say anything he could regret. He was content with something around his neck.

Makoto grabbed his hand as the anthem rang through the auditorium. They stepped up to greet Monomi, who smiled and waved at them. They stood on the platform as the head game maker came up with the Victor's crown. He looked between, them trying to decide who's head to put it on, before eventually placing it on Makoto's head. He mumbled a 'thank you' and they sat down.

"Naegi, Komaeda, welcome back!" Monomi said cheerfully. "Are you ready to see the highlights from the 74th Hunger Games?"

Makoto gave her a winning smile, one that he hoped was convincing enough to hide his pain. "Yes, of course," he replied, squeezing Komaeda's hand tightly.

The film started to play. They showed the bloodbath, showed when Makoto got chased by the forest fire, showed him dropping the hive onto the Careers. Things like that. Makoto mostly didn't say anything, just watched. Monomi would ask him questions and he would just give her some one words answers. Komaeda just stared at it with a small smile gracing his face.

Then they came to Chihiro's death. Makoto fought back tears. Komaeda sensed his distressed and pulled them closer to comfort him. People 'awwww'ed when that happened, but Makoto didn't register that. All he was focusing on was trying not to let tears slip from watching his friend be killed all over again. Luckily the scene was over and Makoto felt like he could breathe again.

They showed when Makoto first found Komaeda, showing their first kiss in impressive closeness and detail. Makoto could hear the gag from Komaru all the way across Panem. They showed the feast and Mondo saving his life. They didn't show much in between that and the final battle.

And then came the final moment. When Makoto held out the Nightlock. People were holding their breaths again. Makoto barely wanted to look. Then it showed them being called the Victors and the clips ended.

Monomi turned to them. Makoto straightened out and took a deep breath, ready for the questioning.

"I think that final moment really shocked us, didn't it?" she asked the audience. They replied with a universal yes. She smiled. "Can you tell us why you did it? Was the thought of being apart that unbearable for you?"

Makoto nodded. "I've never really had someone to call my own, Nagito was the first." he turned to look at him. "He's really special to me and I couldn't stand the thought of winning without him. To have his death on my conscience, even if he would be the one to shed his own blood. He wanted me to win since the very beginning, and I wanted us to win together. And it made me angry that the Captial went back on their promise to keep us together."

Komaeda smiled, reaching over and putting his arm around Makoto. "You're my hope, my reason for staying on this wretched earth, and I couldn't live with myself if you hade died in there. I just knew I wouldn't survive to see the new batch of tributes. I was shocked when you offered the berries to me, but I couldn't refuse when you were so determined to keep us together."

Makoto leaned over to give him a quick kiss. Monomi squealed and so many of the audience went wild. Makoto smiled. They fooled them for now.

**_______**

The train ride back was slightly awkward. Mukuro stared at them, Junko was chattering endlessly, and Makoto was situated in Komaeda's lap. They were all sitting on the couches surrounding a coffee table, just sitting there. Food was on the table but no one reached for it.

Finally, Mukuro took a long swig from her flask and groaned. "You guys actually fell in love, didn't you?" she asked.

Makoto nodded, looking away from her. "A lot of what we said in the interview was true. However, not all of it was. We were hiding a lot from the Capital, from the President. specifically." he explained. "But we did fall for each other. That much isn't fake."

"Why am I not surprised?" Mukuro muttered, taking another drink of whiskey.

"I am! But I think you two are just the cutest couple ever!!!" Junko expressed. "Just look at you! You would make the Capital's top ten cutest celebrity couples list for sure!"

Makoto awkwardly laughed. "Not sure if we'd exactly qualify for that..."

Komaeda looked like he was about to fall asleep against Makoto. Makoto smiled softly and laced his fingers into Komaeda's. "Regardless, when we get back our District is going to eat better than it has for months, right?" he asked.

Mukuro nodded. "Don't worry, you'll get to live in the Victor's huts with your families and the rest of the District will receive monthly packages of good Capital food to last them at least until the next shipment arrives. This will continue until the next Reaping."

Makoto nodded. "That's good..." he said and yawned. He was quite tired as well. "Komaeda... c'mon, I'm gonna go to sleep."

Komaeda woke up partially and followed Makoto into his room. They were going to cuddle until they got home in the morning. Makoto really likes cuddling and he was glad he would get to do it on a proper bed instead of in a sleeping bag on the forest floor or in a tree.

"Are you ready to finally be home?" Komaeda asked as he slipped under the covers and Makoto held onto him.

Makoto nodded. "So ready. Can't wait to see everyone and rest easy for like a month."

Komaeda frowned. "While I doubt that, I respect your ability to stay optimistic."

"Less talk, more cuddle."

Komaeda laughed. Not his crazy laugh, a genuine, soft laugh that meant he was truly happy. "Okay, okay. Good night, Makoto."

When they woke up they were an hour away from District 12. Makoto woke up without Komaeda and he sat up a looked around for him, only for the white-haired boy to pop his head out from in the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower, wanna join?" he asked with a teasing smile.

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. "Sure, I'll be right there," he said and hopped out of the bed.

One shower later and the two walked out to see Mukuro and Junko eating breakfast. They seemed to be engaged in conversation. Makoto and Komaeda sat down in front of them. Komaeda reaching over and placing his hand on Makoto's thigh as to keep as much contact between them as possible. Makoto didn't really mind.

"We'll arrive in District 12 in about ten minutes. Are you two ready to head home?" Mukuro asked.

Makoto smiled. He nodded once. "Yes. I'm ready to be home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS A WHOLE RIDE FOLKS
> 
> I'm asking you all to give me about a week to get the next part out. It'll be a combination fo Catching Fire and Mocking Jay with a slightly different plot. I've foreshadowed a lot in these last few chapters and I'm very excited to get started on it.
> 
> A few notes to take away from this...  
> \- Yes, Makoto and Komaeda are in love. In the original Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are not really in love with each other and even I prefer Katniss and Gale. But this has a bit of a different plot than the original so...  
> \- I do in fact have sketches of Makoto and Komaeda in the various outfits they wear, if you want to see those I can add another chapter and see if Archive will let me upload them.  
> \- I want you to know I read all of your comments. A lot of them have made me smile and I'm glad to hear that you've been enjoying the story!  
> \- I may go back and correct any spelling/grammar mistakes I may have not seen in the final edit. If anyone wants to point them out for me then I would be grateful as I would like this to be an enjoyable read for everyone.
> 
> Thank you so very much for reading and I really hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for the next part!


End file.
